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Chapter Text

The Guardian

  “The story goes like this…

Long ago, before the planet was even created, before humans and Pokémon existed, there was an empty abyss. Forever and ever, darkness stretched in every direction. The only things said to live in this abyss were Arceus, Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina. Dialga, the Temporal Pokémon, created the flow of time, while Palkia, the Spacial Pokémon, created endless space. However, it was Arceus, the All-creator, and Giratina, the Renegade, who birthed the first sparks of life in their abyssal universe.

Arceus sired Ho-Oh, Cresselia, and Suicune. Giratina begot Zekrom, Xerneas, and Virizion. And when they combined their power, they produced Mew.

The true reason as to why these two Pokémon decided to spawn their children is unknown, as is the reason behind why they got together to create one between the two of them, but most historians and scientists alike believe they had the capacity to feel loneliness, similar to humans, and wanted something to nurture--though others believe they simply got bored and wanted something new to entertain themselves with. Regardless of their motives, these seven children became known as the Legends and they created all life as we know it.

Virizion, the Grassland Pokémon, shaped the planet. The earth was a gift from Palkia and Dialga to the children, and it was barren when first brought into existence. However, wherever Virizion walked, grass grew, trees sprouted, and mountains rose up. It created all forms of nature, every flower, every vine, every leaf.

Suicune, the Aurora Pokémon, created all bodies of water. When it fell to Earth from the abyss, it hit the ground so hard the dirt cracked and gave way, causing a crater to form, which would then be known as our oceans. Suicune dug out trenches with its paws to make rivers. Its paw prints turned into ponds. Wherever it would lay, a lake would be made. 

Zekrom, the Deep Black Pokémon, created storms. Its tail worked as a generator, making lightning that scorched the earth, but also bringing forth the rain that filled Suicune’s reservoirs and nourished Virizion’s forests. Whenever it was happy or in a good mood, the rain would fall again, but if it was angry, a hurricane would form. If it ever left the dark thunderclouds it called home, its feet hitting the ground would cause earthquakes. Its pain brought blizzards and its roars would make mountains erupt into volcanoes. 

Ho-Oh, the Rainbow Pokémon, created the sky and gave everything color. As beautiful as all the creations were, they lacked any luster, bearing the same deep shades of grey and black. However, when Ho-Oh flew across the earth for the first time, the world around it burst with color. The forests and plants turned a rich, verdant shade of green, the water became the color of crystals, the flowers each got their own drop of pink and orange and yellow and purple. Finally, Ho-Oh made the blue sky and brought forth the golden sun.

Mew, the New Species Pokémon, created all forms of life. It was a child at heart and would often fly through its siblings’ creations, looking for new friends. When it couldn’t find any, it made its own, molding shapes out of mud or whittling bodies out of stone. It created hundreds of these creatures, which would eventually be known as the Pokémon we know and love today. 

Cresselia, the Lunar Pokémon, created hope. It spread free will and inspiration to all walks of life, allowing everyone and everything to feel the same things as one another. It made sure everyone got rest in the form of sleep, where it would then produce dreams within the mind. To contrast Ho-Oh’s day and sun, it made the night, the stars, and the moon.

Finally, Xerneas, the Life Pokémon, gave everything existence. It brought Mew’s creations to life and made humans to coexist with them. 

It is thanks to these seven that we are here today. They are known as the Legends for their power and myth, how they graced humans with their presence in times of need.

However, tragedy would eventually strike. A great darkness broke out between Arceus and Giratina. Giratina was banished to the Distortion World, which caused it to resent Arceus. This anger reached their children, creating tension between the seven of them. When the intensity reached a fever pitch, the world as we know it threatened to rip apart. Cresselia plunged the land in endless night, while Zekrom raged storms that threatened to drown all civilization. Mew’s distress caused Pokémon to go mad and Ho-Oh brought down the sun’s wrath. Suicune turned the ocean against the planet, as Virizion did with nature. Xerneas, the oldest and wisest of the group, took matters into its own hands when things grew too hysteric. It realized that the only way to save life itself was by taking their own. 

The Legends were wiped out by Xerneas, forced into a deep state of slumber somewhere unknown. It has been centuries since anyone has seen them, but some say when the world is threatened, they will rise again. We can only assume it is to join together once more and save their creation from complete destruction.”

Over the loudspeaker, a bell rings out. Relief waves through the entire room.

  “And so class, that concludes the story about the Legendary Pokémon. Jess, I hope it was satisfactory. Enjoy your summer and remember to take care of your Pokémon. Make sure that you complete the assigned readings about the Legends over the break. Class dismissed.” The teacher dismisses the class as they all pick up their books and PokéBalls to go home for the summer.

Emma picks up her bag and sighs. All she wants is to do is spend time playing with her Pokémon--she JUST got traded her new Snover--and spending time with her human friends, but instead, she has to spend most of the summer helping her grandmother at the lab. The additional summer reading assignments will eat up just as much of the free time that Emma does end up having. She doesn’t even get why the summer reading assignments matter; when you live with your grandmother at the lab of the leading Pokémon Legends research facility, you face legends all the time.

As she stands up, a bundle of blue and brown fur leaps up with her. It was her trusty Herdier, Nugget, her fluffy tail a blur of movement behind her. Nugget just recently evolved from a Lillipup and Emma could not be more in love with her little puppy dog! The two of them have been together since Emma was nine, the energetic little Pokémon a gift from her Uncle Barry for her birthday.

Out in the hall, it’s like a Gyrados just used Hurricane. Students dart to and fro, their Pokémon partners scurrying after them as they try to escape the confines of school for the break they all desperately want, Emma included. However, before Emma can join them, she waits by her locker for her best human friend, Kevin Shield. To pass the time, she kneels down to pet Nugget.

Just as Nugget is getting scratched behind her ears, she sniffs the air and then starts running down the hall. Emma streaks after the Herdier, looking to see where she went. She spots her Pokémon near the exit where Nugget bumps into Cuddles, the Bewear, who is being followed by her trainer, Kevin.

  “Hey, Emma!” Now that Kevin has seen her, he runs gleefully towards Emma. “Are you excited about that Legends story we learned about in class? Sounds like it should be right up your alley, knowing your grandmother.”

Emma playfully glares at her friend as they start walking down the hallway together. Nugget and Herdier bounce along at their sides. “I just don’t get what the big deal about Legends is. It’s not like they have a big impact on everyday life--except that time they tried to destroy the whole world because of family issues. And by definition doesn’t that mean that the Legends might not be true? They’re just stories. That’s kinda what a legend is.”

Kevin is about to respond when he gets distracted by a Beautifly fluttering its way towards them. It’s holding a box of chocolates, which it drops into Emma’s hands, before deciding to rest on Kevin’s face. Emma knows exactly who this Beautifly belongs to. 

Emma looks ahead at the distant figure of the beautiful girl being silhouetted by the sunlight streaming in from the exit doors and says, “Alyssa Greene, as happy as I am to see you, can you please get May to stop flying onto Kevin’s face every time? I’m not sure how much more this idiot could take.”

Kevin, who still has the Butterfly Pokémon on his face, says with a voice that is slightly muffled from the Beautifly’s thorax, “I like it. It’s just how May lets me know that she thinks I’m sweet! On a side note, do either of you have any Paralyze Heals on you?”

Alyssa returns May to her PokéBall as she saunters over and leans in to give Emma a kiss. Balanced perfectly around her neck like an expensive scarf is her elegant partner, Pretty the Glameow. She tosses Kevin a Paralyze Heal as he salutes and then careens away to find the rest of their friends.

Together, Emma and Alyssa walk out of the school and into the fresh, summer air. The sun is warm and feels amazing on Emma’s skin. She would have taken a moment to soak in her temporary freedom away from learning if Alyssa hadn’t pulled her sideways towards nearby a tree, but she doesn’t mind. The look in Alyssa’s eyes say it’ll be worth her while.

There is a Starly sitting on one of the lower branches of the tree that is trying to look innocent. When Emma sees it, she instantly narrows her eyes in suspicion.

  “So Emma,” Alyssa begins, at cat-eyed as her Glameow, “My moms are busy at the hospital tonight so we can have my house to ourselves if you want to sleepover.”

Emma’s ear tips ignite like a newly-hatched Tepig using Ember for the first time. She tries to match Alyssa’s sultry tone, but she flirts about as well as a Torkoal could swim, and all she ends up saying is a quaked, “Oh?” 

Smiling like a Salazzle, Alyssa leans in and hums, “Mhm.”

Emma kisses her- she doesn’t know what else to do, she’s terrible at this. Alyssa doesn’t seem to mind, though.

The kiss gets deeper and deeper until the Starly in the tree flies down and starts pecking at Emma to get the two of them to separate. Emma glares at the Starly. She’s getting cockblocked by a BIRD! Starlyblocked, if you will.  

  “Child, how many times do I have to tell you to leave me alone when I’m with my girlfriend?!” Emma barks, probably sounding exactly like Nugget towards Skwovets, and Alyssa chuckles at her side. She whips around to her girlfriend, fuming. “I swear to Arceus that Gran sends him to spy on me every time she thinks I’m up to no good! That little snitch!”

  “She’s probably just making sure you aren’t doing ‘improper acts’ or something,” Alyssa says.

Emma is very offended at that. “Rude! I’m such a good kid! That’s right! Me! The perfect role model!”

Alyssa chuckles and gives her a quick kiss on the cheek. “I know, love.”

Alyssa then pulls out some paper and a pen from her backpack and begins to write a note. She gives Child a cracker to peck at while she’s writing. Meanwhile, Emma is losing a staring match pretty terribly to a Starly, a bird, which is practically her cousin. Alyssa finishes up the letter and gives it to Child, who picks it up in his beak. Satisfied, he flies away, presumably back to the lab.

  “What did you say?” Emma asks her girlfriend. 

Alyssa has a mischievous look on her face as she says, “Oh, nothing much. Just a promise to your grandmother that we would spend the next three days doing grunt work at the lab if she lets us just have this one night together.”

Emma groans. “I swear if I wasn’t so horny and in love with you right now I would kill you for signing me up for three days of hard labor when I already have to spend my whole summer there.”

Alyssa smirks. “That’s why we better get going to make the most of our time. Come on, our night of adventure awaits.”

Alyssa winks at Emma, and the two of them start running off towards the Greene household.

The Destruction

At the other side of the sea, on the Alola island of Akala, Lush Jungle is burning. 

The verdant green grass turns gold with flames that devour everything in their path. Terrified Pokémon flee with squeals of fright and pain, their home destroyed. Humans and Water-Type Pokémon alike work to combat the fire, but it's as though Ho-Oh commands this inferno; it will simply not be beaten down.

  “What do we do?” a man shouts, his face painted grey with ash. Behind him, his Croconaw spouts out an endless torrent of water to a fire that would not turn to ash. “We can’t keep this up!”

  “We can’t stop, either!” his partner shouts back. His Seismitoad is trying desperately to clear the flames consuming the tall jungle trees. “If we don’t do something, this fire could spread further and reach a city!”

  “Nothing is working!” the first man cries.

Their fight is then interrupted by a tree crashing to the ground in a thunderous spew of yellow flames and molten debris. Both the men and their Pokémon leap backward, and the first man lets out a hiss of pain as a flying ember singes hot against the skin on his arm. He swats at it, and his Croconaw quickly lets out a light stream of water on his arm to try and soothe the burn. At his side, the second man looks at the wreckage with a worried frown.

  “Golduck, use Rain Dance!”

The area, already so dim from smoke, darkens further as clouds gather in the sky. Rain comes pouring down, beating against the fire, which hisses and fumes in retaliation. Both men turn to see a woman standing there with a Golduck at her side. She looks deeply troubled as she stares at the destruction, the flames reflecting back in her dark brown eyes. 

  “We’re from Heahea City,” the woman says to them, nodding at the barrage of new helpers now swarming the forest. “We heard what happened. Saw the fire and came running as quickly as we could.”

The first man breathes out a sigh of relief. “Thank Arceus you’re here. This is too much for us to handle.”

  “Do you know what caused this?” the second man asks.

The woman frowns. She doesn’t reply for a moment, rather ordering her Golduck to use Hydro Pump to take out as much fire as possible, then turns back to them. “Wela Volcano erupted.”

Both of the men gape at her. They close their mouths when smoke tries to worm in and clog their airways. The first man coughs into his hand.

  “What?” the second man says in shock. “It’s supposed to be dormant!”

  “It is,” the woman confirms with a nod. “This was never supposed to happen.”

  “So then why did it?” the first man asks. His lips are caked in grey. 

The woman looks helpless. “We don’t know.”

Just then, a shout broke through the monstrous roaring of fire. Someone--one of the first on-scene helpers--runs blindly out from the blaze. She is turned black with ash and her arms are pinkened by blotches of garish burns. Held protectively against her chest is a quaking Fomantis, and at first it looks like it may be some kind of rare Shiny variant, but then they all realize that grey color is actually from a thick caking of soot.

  “Help!” the young woman cries, her voice hoarse and raspy from smoke inhalation. “Please!”

The woman runs to her and helps her stand steady. It’s clear to them all that this new arrival is in pain, her burns crushing her.

  “It’s going to be okay,” the woman told the helper. “We have medics waiting outside the forest. They can help you.”

  “No, no--” The helper shakes her head, then coughs violently. “There’s-- there’s still more trapped in there. They can’t get out.”

  “Can they move?” the woman asks.

The helper shakes her head again. “That’s why they haven’t fled.”

  “How many more?”

  “I don’t-- I don’t know. Fifteen? Twenty?”

The woman nods, then shouts something to her team. Half of them break off and race into the wildfire. She looks back at the helper, glancing once at the injured Fomantis she's holding.

  “Go to the medics,” she says to her. “We’ll handle this.”

The helper hesitates, then nods. She stumbles off to the front of Lush Jungle, coughing as she goes. 

The woman and her Golduck turn forward and stare into the scorching as though they are staring into the burning eyes of Ho-Oh itself, then disappear into the golden wings of the legendary bird's conflagration. The two men are left behind in the ashes. Rain Dance is doing little to nothing, the fire much too powerful for such a simple storm. What they need is Zekrom’s great storm, but Zekrom hasn’t been around for centuries. 

  “Well,” the second man says to the first. “Nowhere to go but into the belly of the beast.”

The first man watches as he and his Seismitoad bound after the woman. Around him, the fire purrs, beckoning him inside. 

  “Suicune save us all,” he whispers, and then follows into the flames.

The Guardian

The late summer sun is warm and red. Hearthome City is bustling with activity, more so now that the Club Battle has rolled around. Nothing fueled the fire of locals more than battle competitions, and this is no exception. The line to simply sign up is practically a mile long.

  “Arceus,” Kevin groans. “This is gonna take forever.”

Emma laughs slightly. “No, it won’t! And even if it does, I’m here to keep you company, aren’t I?”

Kevin perks up a little at that. “Yeah! You are! But still.”

  “Oh, wow, thanks.”

They both laugh.

As their conversation dips, Emma looks around. There are a myriad of Pokémon running around the area, tussling and wrestling with each other playfully while their trainers talk as they wait in line. Nugget is currently running after a scruffy Poochyena, her tongue hanging out of her mouth and delight glowing in her eyes. Cuddles stays close by Kevin’s side until she spots something and whips around, clubbing Kevin in the back of the knees with her thick tail and nearly making him collapse.

  “Falling for me, are you?” speaks a languid, velvety voice. “You have a girlfriend, Shield. Wait until she hears about this.”

Emma and Kevin both look over to see a strikingly pretty brunette girl walking towards them with a Salazzle at her side. It’s Kaylee.

  “Shelby wouldn’t mind,” Kevin says dismissively, righting himself again. “She knows I’m crazy for her!”

  “You here for the competition?” Emma looks up at Kaylee.

  “Of course,” Kaylee says. “Vamp and I have some steam to blow off.” She pats the head of her Salazzle, which presses into her palm with a purr. “I’ve been super stressed, so this’ll be a nice change of pace.”

  “Are you okay?” Emma asks.

  “Aww, aren’t you sweet,” Kaylee teases her lightly, a small smile playing on her lips. She rolls her shoulder, trying to act calm and collected, but Emma can tell she does, in fact, look a little disheveled. There are bags under her eyes, which she’s clearly trying to hide with makeup. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’ve just had a rough time sleeping lately.”

  “Nightmares?” Kevin guesses.

  “Kinda,” Kaylee says. “Like, they’re not normal nightmares, where my whole family dies or some kind of creep is chasing after me. I’m usually in this, like, abyss or something. It’s really bright and I’m floating and I can hear so many things. When I close my eyes, there’s these images that I can’t make heads or tails of. It’s not really freaky, but I wake up exhausted and nervous for some reason.” 

Emma furrows her brow. “That does sound weird,” she says. “I’ve been having random dreams, too. I mean, they’re nothing like that, but they’re definitely something.”

It started happening ever since that class she had two months ago, the one about the Legends. After getting put in her place by Alyssa, she had awoken in a cold sweat that night, the image of the sky ripping apart and the dark abyss crashing in flashing behind her eyes. It rattled her severely, but all she could do was curl into Alyssa’s warmth with a tiny whimper and go back to sleep.

Since then, she has had the same dream at least once every week. She would watch the pure blue sky get torn open by giant claws, allowing a terrible inky blackness to flood in, as though the very universe was spilling its guts onto her. She got to hear the screams of agony and terror of all her friends, the screams of Alyssa, but she could do nothing to save them except stand there and glimpse the tragedy. The darkness would slide around her ankles, consuming her friends and girlfriend, draining them of their life and their color. They writhed with it, fighting desperately against it, but they were not strong enough, not against the abyss. And Emma just watched, just let it happen. And every single time, she woke up with a gasp, sweating buckets, and barely managing to bite back a scream so she wouldn’t wake her roommate. She always felt guilty and drained for the rest of the day. She know by now her ill mood had to have been noticed by the others in her group.

  “Now that you mention it,” Kevin pipes up, “I’ve been having weird dreams as well.”

  “Oh, great, now we’re the Dream Team or something,” Kaylee says with a laugh.

  “Hey, that can be cool!” Kevin says. 

  “In your-- well, I was gonna say ‘in your dreams,’ but,” Kaylee gestures vaguely, and they all laugh.

Emma is about to bring up the details of her own dreams when a thunderous roar rips through the air. She flinches and instantly whips her head up to the sky, luckily finding it intact, though the shade of orange and red from twilight is a bit unnerving with her nightmares on the mind, like the very horizon is bleeding itself out. She then looks around, quickly finding the source of the disruption.

A giant, spitting mad Charizard seems to be throwing some kind of temper tantrum nearby. Its trainer, not even half its size, is struggling to calm it down.

  “Carnelian, it’s alright!” the small girl was yelling over the explosive screeching. “It’s okay! Calm down!”

The Charizard, Carnelian, is having none of what his trainer is trying to give him. He flares out his giant wings, lashes his flaming tail, and seethes fire at his powerful jaws, and Emma is worried that she’s about to witness this poor girl get killed by her own Pokémon. However, before any roasting alive could be done, a shout sounds over all the mayhem.

  “Rosemary, use Grass Whistle!”

A verdant green Deerling leaps between the girl and the Flame Pokémon. When Carnelian whips his head around, the Deerling begins to make a distinct whistling noise. It’s high pitched, yet very soothing at the same time, and Carnelian’s eyelids begin to droop until he slouches over, completely asleep. His trainer breathes a sigh of relief as she returns him to his PokéBall.

  “Thanks, Rosie,” she says to the Deerling.

Rosemary raises her head up proudly and trills. Her trainer walks over, a Braixen at her side, and says something to the girl that Emma can’t quite make out.

  “Oh, hey!” Kaylee waves an arm. “Shelby! Gingie! Over here!”

Both of the girls’ heads turn. When they see Kaylee, Kevin, and Emma, they walk over.

  “Hey, guys,” Shelby greets, her voice thick with an Alolan accent. She kisses Kevin on the cheek, which makes the boy practically radiate with delight. Her Braixen, named Lady, giggles softly.

  “Good work with Mr. Cranky,” Kaylee says.

  “Works every time,” Shelby grins, rubbing Rosemary’s head. 

  “What made him upset this time?” Emma asks Carnelian’s trainer, a small, younger girl with red hair done in two braids. 

  “I don’t even know,” Winnie answers. Her cheeks are still red, most likely from getting embarrassed over her Pokémon’s outburst. Her partner, a stoic Absol named Flower, is trying to comfort her by nuzzling her hand. “But they’re getting worse, I think. Now he’s coming out of his PokéBall at random, only to get mad the moment he sees me. But he also gets mad when I put him in his PokéBall. Nothing ever pleases him.”

Winnie has been having issues with her Charizard ever since she got him from her father a year ago. It isn’t uncommon to sometimes see her with burns, scratches, or even bite marks from the aggressive Pokémon, but she still won’t give him away, despite all the urges to do so from everyone in the group. She seems to think she has to “prove herself” in some way by keeping him.

  “Girl, he is going to kill you one day,” Kaylee says.

Winnie doesn’t seem to know what to say to that, so she just shrugs and looks away. She starts to pet Flower’s head; her Absol’s fur is braided with colorful petals.

  “Oh, hey, that actually reminds me,” Kevin pipes up again. “Did you guys hear about what happened in Kalos?”

Emma shakes her head, but Shelby nods, apparently aware of whatever this news is. 

  “The safari zone thing, right?” Shelby says.

  “Right,” Kevin confirms.

  “What safari zone thing?” Emma asks.

  “You know the safari zone in Kalos?” Kevin says.

  “Yeah?”

  “Well, a bunch of Pokémon went completely bonkers. Like, insane. They had to use tranquilizers and everything to calm them down because they were trying to hurt people and other Pokemon. I hear a few of them were so bad that they had to be put down to keep others safe.”

Winnie gasps. “That's terrible!”

Kevin nods grimly. “Right?”

  “Oh, so now the whole world is going mad,” Kaylee says dryly. “Great.”

Before any of them can say anything else, the line moves up, and they’re finally at the front. There, a semicircle of tables are set up, each with a different person collecting the information of competitors. Emma walks to the one that’s currently open. A blonde woman with braided hair was sitting on the other side.

  “Name,” the woman says.

  “Emma Nolan,” Emma tells her.

  “What three Pokémon will you be entering?”

Emma has already planned out her entire team for the competition: “Herdier, Kricketune, and Rowlet.”

The woman nods as she marks the information down on a slip of paper. She then hands Emma a lanyard with a card hanging off of it. The number 250 is printed on it in big, black font. 

  “The competition starts in two days at twelve and will run for three days,” the woman says. “It’s best to get some training in, a good night’s rest, and then arrive early to make check-in on time.” She smiles at Emma. “Good luck.”

Emma smiles back at her. “Thank you.”

Emma moves away from the table so other people can get signed up, Nugget trotting at her side. She waits for her friends, faintly hearing their own input into registration.

  “Kevin Shield. Bewear, Buizel, and Emboar.”

  “Kaylee Klein. Salazzle, Granbull, and Plusle.”

  “Shelby Gonzalez. Braixen, Deerling, and Oricorio.”

  “Winnie Thompson. Absol, Minccino, and…Charizard.”

When they are all finished, they walk over to Emma and start to make the trek back to Solaceon Town together. Emma hopes that the walk will wear her out enough to where she doesn’t have any more weird dreams that night.

  “You’re really going to fight with Carnelian?” Kevin asks Winnie.

Winnie hunches her shoulders in a little. “He’ll be mad at me if I don’t enter him. Besides, I don’t have any other Pokémon. I’m already having to use Brunch. Thanks again, by the way.”

  “No problem!” Kevin says.

  “And who knows,” Winnie goes on. “Maybe this can be a bonding experience for us!”

None of them look convinced.

  “Also, I was wondering,” Emma says. “Is Nick not competing or something?”

Kaylee laughs. “Are you kidding me? Of course he is! He was one of the first people to sign up! He LIVES for this kind of shit!”

That much is true. Nick Boomer loves nothing more than battling and making his team as strong as possible.

  “What about Alyssa?” Kaylee asks.

Emma shakes her head. “Nah, she’s not really into competitions like this. She’s more of a contest type of gal. But she’ll be there to cheer us on. Especially when I beat all of you!”

That sparks a playful argument between all of them, and by the time they make it back to their town, the sun has fully set. Automatic night lights light up the exterior of Solaceon Trainer School, guiding them back home. With final jabs at each other, they part ways and head to their respective dorms or houses.

The school is residential, meaning most students live on the campus, though some, like Alyssa and Kevin, stayed at home if they were close enough. Each of the dorms are large enough for a full team of moderately-sized Pokémon to be out of their PokéBall’s in, while also having enough room for another bed. Currently, the other bed in Emma’s dorm is being occupied by her roommate.

Jess Monae-Boomer is Nick’s step sister. She’s much less frustrating than her brother and a lot more likable, with a chill personality and friendly eyes. She’s reading out loud to her Axew, Cali, on her bed when Emma walks in. The purple head of Forgery, her Ekans, pops up from where he’s wound around her neck, shortly followed by Jess and Cali. 

  “You’re finally back!” Jess says, sounding genuinely happy to see Emma. “Did you get signed up?”

  “Yep!” Emma nods. She holds up her lanyard. “All ready to go!”

Jess grins. “I’m ready to cheer you on!”

The two of them continue to make idle conversation as Emma gets ready for bed. She releases each of her Pokémon from their PokéBalls--Nugget, who is already out, Tenor the Kricketune, Emil the Rowlet, and Mint the Snover--and they all clamber into her bed to cuddle. Surrounded so snugly by her team, she feels safe as she slowly drifts off to sleep…

The sky is falling.

Like the night before, like every other night, Emma watches as the sky is ripped open and spilled out all over Solaceon Town. She watches as the darkness bleeds in and consumes her friends. She watches as everything dies around her, all while just standing there, doing nothing at all to stop it or save anyone.

However, something is different about tonight. 

Tonight, the world distorts and bends on itself. The atmosphere grows tight, as though it’s trying to crush Emma’s skull. There is a pulsating intensity in the air, and she feels some kind of strange pressure pressing down on her, like something is trying to push free from restrictive confines. And then, she sees it.

There’s something standing in the destruction. In the fog and haze of blackness as the sun is devoured by the void, something watches her from afar. It’s huge, but that’s the only thing she can really make out about its appearance. 

Emma.

A voice calls out to her.

Emma.

It’s coming from inside of her head.

Emma. I know you can hear me.

  “Who… who are you?” Emma croaks. 

I cannot tell. This weak world cannot handle such knowledge. Even the slightest bit of arcane information could make it crash.

Emma swallows thickly. She’s shaking all over. 

  “What’s going on?”

The end. 

   “Wh… what?”

Wake up. It’s coming for you. Your fragile life force will be shredded by its darkness. You must wake up!

The figure takes a step forward, and then there are red-green eyes staring directly into Emma’s face, obstructing her vision as her mind is filled with urgent screaming.

WAKE UP!

It is then that Emma jerks awake, ripping free from the confines of her nightmare. She nearly launches Tenor off of the bed when she bolts up into a sitting position, struggling to catch her breath as it feels like she hasn’t taken air in decades. Her entire body is soaked in cold sweat and she’s shaking all over. Those eyes are branded behind her eyelids.

She doesn’t think she’s going to be well-rested for the competition.

Chapter Text

The Entity

Alyssa…

The pain is unbearable.

Alyssa…

Everything is crumbling around her, turning to dust, fading away into ashes.

Alyssa…

People are screaming, Pokémon are desperately clinging to their trainers, and they’re trying to fight back, they’re trying so hard, but it’s not enough, it’s not enough.

ALYSSA!

  “Alyssa!”

She awakens.

Alyssa’s eyes, bloodshot and burning, snap open wide. She stares at her ceiling, paralyzed, feeling her body wilting away into atoms. Her fingernails seem to be shooting out of her fingers, skull throbbing like her skin was splitting open. 

And then, there is a gentle touch on her arm. She whips her head around, expecting to see the darkness, that evil, infernal void, but instead she finds the caring green eyes of a blonde-haired woman and a Blaziken standing at her bedside.

  “Alyssa,” Angie says, and her voice is so soothing compared to the one that had been screaming in Alyssa’s head. “Oh, honey. You don’t look well. Did you have another nightmare?”

When did it start happening? Alyssa can’t remember. The dreams feel like they’ve been going on forever, always plaguing her sleep, to the point where she has considered not sleeping at all. 

She sighs, rubbing her eyes. They’re itchy and sore in the sunlight trickling in through her window—and then she realizes there is no sunlight. That’s just the grey glow of a rainstorm brewing outside. The rain on the glass feels like thousands of fingers poking her brain.

  “Yeah,” she finally said, exhaling harshly.

Angie sets a hand on her forehead. “You’re not warm… But you do look lethargic. Do you wanna stay home today?”

Alyssa shakes her already. Slowly, she can feel the effects of her nightmare receding, the intense exhaustion wearing away into nothingness, her energy returning piece by piece.

She sits up. Her Glameow, named Pretty because she had no concept of good names when she was five, is sitting beside her, looking worried. She pets Pretty’s head gently.

  “I’m okay, I think,” Alyssa says.

  “The keyword there is ‘think,’” Angie points out. 

Alyssa laughs slightly. “Really, I’m okay now. I was just a little spooked. Scarlet, stop looking at me like that!”

Scarlet, Angie’s Blaziken, snorts out a wisp of flame and crosses her arms over her feathery chest. Angie pats her leg.

  “We’re only worried about you, honey,” Angie says. “This has been going on for a while, after all.”

  “I know,” Alyssa says. “But really. I’m okay.”

Angie looks at her, then nods. “Alright. If you insist. But don’t you forget that I am a doctor and I am not afraid to use all my medical knowledge on you, young lady!”

Alyssa laughs. “Alright, Mama, alright! I will surrender myself to your ‘medical knowledge’ if it gets worse.”

Angie nods again. “Good. Now, I’ll let you get dressed. I need to check on Blink and Io, anyway. I let them cook breakfast.”

Another laugh, especially at the mental image of her mother’s Medicham and Grumpig trying to make scrambled eggs. Already, Alyssa is feeling better. “I’ll be down in a moment.”

Angie smiles at her, kisses the top of her head, and then walks out. 

Alyssa stays in bed for a moment longer, then finally gets out. She changes out of her pajamas and into her day clothes. When she looks in the mirror, she thinks she can see eyes that are not her own in her sockets, but she shakes her head and smiles at Pretty.

  “Ready?” 

Pretty raises her nose.

  “Pretty, I’m fine, trust me. Besides, today is the competition! I can’t miss it.”

Pretty huffs.

  “It’s important to everyone, especially Emma. Now, come on.” She extends a hand down to Pretty. 

Pretty stares at her, then climbs up her arm to sit on her shoulder. Alyssa scratches under her chin before walking out of her room.

Her headache doesn’t go away.

The Order

Hearthome Stadium buzzes and hums. The back paddocks are like any other, if encased by a somewhat muggier heat from the humidity of a late summer storm that rolled in sometime that early morning: a small village of trainers and their Pokémon milling up and down the hallways, chattering and darting like the Pidoves in the trees outside, living rainbows of color thanks to the bright silks they all have to wear as a form of battle uniform. The sound of feet and claws and hooves on the shiny tile floors is near-constant, and the periodic rise and fall of the crowd’s voice filters in from the distance, the words of the announcer laid over top, familiar enough to fade into the background, even during his most fervent invocations.

  “Without further ado, it is the highest honor that I now get to announce… let the battles begin!”

Even in the holding room, the space where competitors waited right before a battle, all of the trainers can hear the roar of the crowd from inside the stadium. The audience is fueled with fire and ready to watch the battles that were soon to go down. And Nick, for one, is prepared to kick some serious ass.

  “Now, if you’ll all look up at the big screen, you will see today’s lineups!”

The cards are shuffled and everyone holds their breath as they watch. When the fighters are revealed, Nick raises his chin.

  “First up, Nick vs. Olivia!”

  “Woo, go Nick!” his friends shout. They are all grinning at him, and as stupid as they are, he can’t help but grin back.

  “Watch and learn,” he says. Then, to his partner, a fierce Samurott, “Come on, Ninja. Let’s show this city what we’re made of.”

  “Sam!” Ninja barks in agreement.

The crowd screeches when Nick and Ninja walk out onto the battlefield. The bright spotlights up above glint against the rich red and black checkerboard fabric of his silks. There are hundreds, maybe even thousands, of faces in the stand, and he can’t help but be in awe at just how many showed up to watch the fights. 

Across the dirt field, Olivia is standing. Nick sizes her up. She’s a little younger than him, wearing forest green silks that have even darker streaks. Her number displays 21. This will be a walk in the park.

  “The rules of this battle are simple. Each trainer may use one Pokémon from their selection of three. Substitutions are not permitted.”

That’s fine. Nick isn’t going to need to switch his Pokémon.

  “Trainers ready? FIGHT!”

  “Alright, Ninja,” Nick says. “Let’s go!”

Ninja leaps onto the battlefield with a bark. 

  “Morgrem, come on out!” 

A mischievous-looking Morgrem bursts free from Olivia’s PokéBall.

  “Okay, Ninja, use Slash!”

  “Morgrem, Reflect!”

Ninja unsheathes the sword from his shoulder and takes off towards Morgrem. However, right as he’s swinging, a force field of psychic energy flashes around Morgrem, deflecting the shot. Ninja instantly jumps away when his attack doesn’t land and growls softly.

Right. Reflect halves the damage of any physical attack.

  “It’s fine, Ninja!” Nick calls to his partner. “We can do this! Use Ice Beam!”

  “Morgrem, deflect it with Dark Pulse!”

Ninja opens his mouth and releases a jagged beam of ice at Morgrem. At the same moment, Morgrem summons a blast of dark energy. When the two attacks collide, smoke explodes throughout the battlefield.

Both Pokémon are still standing, unharmed.

  “Ninja, use Ice Beam again!”

  “Morgrem, dodge it and use Throat Chop!”

Ninja releases another blast of ice, but Morgrem is much too fast. It rushes forward and ducks underneath the beam, its left hand glowing a deep purple. Nick’s nerves jolt.

  “Dodge it, Ninja!”

But it’s too late.

Morgrem leaps and jabs its hand into Ninja’s throat. 

Ninja staggers backward with a sharp cry, tumbling over onto his back. For a moment, Nick thinks that’s it, that it’s already over, but then he sees Ninja stir slightly in the dirt, grunting in pain.

  “Ninja!” Nick calls. “Are you alright?”

Ninja rises to his feet. He wobbles, then flashes Nick a toothy smirk. The dark vines of fear creeping through Nick recede. For now.

  “Great,” Nick says. “You got this, Ninja! Use Hydro Pump!”

  “Dodge it and use Throat Chop again, Morgrem!” Olivia yells. 

Morgrem rushes forward, as it had done before, its hand ignited in a wicked purple glow, but Ninja is ready this time. He jumps out of the way before he can get hit and releases a powerful blast of water onto Morgrem, knocking it back several feet and sending it tumbling across the dirt battlefield.

  “Morgrem!” Olivia shouts in dismay.

  “Great job, Ninja!” Nick yells.

  “Rott!” Ninja barks, puffing out his chest proudly.

A few yards away, Morgrem staggers to its feet. It’s definitely feeling the damage of the Hydro Pump, but isn’t going down just yet. 

  “Alright, Morgrem,” Olivia says. “Use Play Rough!” 

Something flashes in Morgrem’s eyes. It runs at Ninja, smirking crazily and cackling. 

  “Ninja, deflect it using Slash!”

Ninja takes out his sword, but swinging it only met him the glistening surface of Morgrem’s Reflect. He’s completely vulnerable as Morgrem lashes into him with teeth and talons, biting and scratching every inch of skin it can reach.

  “Ninja!” Nick cries over the sound of his partner’s pain. He clenches his fists, wishing he could go out there and rip the little imp off of Ninja himself, but he knew that would only get them disqualified. 

He tries to think, but his mind is full of static, distracting him. He growls softly. 

Finally, something comes to him. 

  “Ninja, bite it and use Hydro Pump!”

Ninja snapped his jaws down on Morgrem’s arm when it was pummeling his chest, effectively trapping the little imp. His mouth lights up with Hydro Pump, and the power explodes right into Morgrem’s face, slamming it into the ground with so much force it creates a small crater. 

  “Morgrem, no!” Olivia yells.

  “Let’s finish this, Ninja!” Nick says. “Use Slash!”

Ninja takes out his sword and holds it up with both paws. This time, it hits its mark.

When the dust clears, it’s clear who the victor is.

The Soul

  “The next battle up on the docket is Winnie Thompson versus Peter Johnson!”

Winnie’s nerves clamp down on her like a Mightyena using Thunder Fang. One after another, she watched as her friends won their battles, and they made it look so easy.

Okay, just go with Flower and you can do this right, she thinks to herself. Make your parents proud and prove you’re not a failure.

Winnie approaches the battlefield with as much courage as she can muster, trying not to wring her fingers in her silks, knowing how pathetic that will make her look. The fabric is deep green with storm grey sleeves. Emma says the verdant color brings out her hair.

Her friends give her their words of encouragement as she passes by, but she’s so nervous that she can only smile wryly back at them. It doesn’t really meet her eyes.

She listens closely to the sound Flower’s feet make on the tile, then the dirt. Even steps. No hesitation. No reason to worry. Her partner ignores the other Pokémon, ignores the eager people watching from the stands. She is calm. Ready.

Peter, her opponent, smirks at her from the other side of the field. His silks are all Ho-Oh orange, white piping. She tries not to squirm when his eyes rake up and down her form, gauging how meek she is, how weak she is, how easy she will be to crush between his fingers.

  “This will be an easy fight,” he says. “Go, Alakazam!”

Okay, perfect, Winnie thinks, Alakazam is a Psychic-Type and weak to Dark. Flower just needs to use Night Slash a bunch of times and then--

Winnie’s thoughts are interrupted by the sound of a PokéBall opening up. She looks up to see the giant beast of her Charizard leering down at her. 

  “No! Carnelian, I didn’t mean to choose you!” Winnie bleats.

But it’s too late.

  “Okay, Alakazam versus Charizard! Let the battle begin!”

  “Alakazam use Calm Mind!”

  “Zam!” Alakazam cries out as it focuses inward to raise its special attack and special defense.

  “Okay, this is fine, we're fine, we can do this,” Winnie whispers to herself. “Carnelian, use Flamethrower!” 

Carnelian doesn’t respond. Instead, he simply leaps into the air and flies around, getting a good view of the stadium while not attacking.

  “Or you can...not listen to me...” Winnie mumbles. 

It’s tough, having to deal with a Pokémon with potential champion-worthy strength who only listens when he feels like it. Winnie has spent the past year trying to figure out how to get Carnelian to battle without a fit. Most items cause a tantrum. Berries make no difference, nor do incenses. Sometimes he refuses to fight without the sun out, sometimes on a dirt field. Once with Alyssa calling the shots, he had won brilliantly, and Winnie had been ecstatic; the next mock battle he’d plopped down and been happy to take the hits as they came. The only thing she confirmed was that he absolutely hated physical discipline and preferred to fight offense.

  “Alakazam! Keep using Calm Mind while Charizard is distracted!”

  “Zam! Zam!’ Alakazam cries in agreement. Winnie can practically feel the mounting power radiating off of it.

Winnie is flushed and overwhelmed. She hopes her parents aren’t watching this back at home. “Come on!” she calls to her Charizard. “If you wait much longer it’ll be impossible to defeat Alakazam! Please! Just use Air Slash! Please!”

Carnelian does the exact opposite- he wheels around in the sky and soars down at Alakazam, his talons igniting blue with Dragon Claw. Across the field, Peter sneers.

  “This will be an easy victory. Alakazam! Use Psychic!”

Alakazam focuses deeply to channel its psychic energy at Carnelian. “Ala--ka--ZAMMMMM!”

The physic energy hits Carnelian head-on, causing him to crash into the ground. There is a small crater around the area where Carnelian had landed.

  “Charizard is unable to battle!” the announcer shouts. “The winner is Alakazam!”

  “No! Carnelian!” Winnie cries out as she runs towards her Charizard. She reaches Carnelian and picks up his head in her hands. “Carnelian, I’m so sorry that this happened! It’s all my fault. I’ll take you straight to Doctor Greene to make you feel better, okay? You’re going to be alright.”

She manages a small smile as she strokes Carnelian’s horns. His bright blue eyes turn up to her, and for a moment, she thinks she’s finally gotten through to him, but then his eyes seem to be getting...brighter, and that doesn’t seem right.

When Hyper Beam slams into her chest, Winnie barely feels it.

-----

All there is is darkness. This doesn’t feel like ordinary darkness. This feels like a deep abyss.

There are creatures around her. Giant shapes of magnificent monsters. But they are all so dark and blurry, impossible to make out any real details.

There is a crash and then she sees startling images. First, there are beautiful forests turning into barren wastelands, any green life present slowly fading away.

Next, there are the oceans drying up. Where there were once wondrous bodies of water spanning millennia is dehydrated dirt and ground.

Storms! Horrible storms! Storms are supposed to feed life by creating energy, but these storms are nothing like that. These are storms of pure darkness and despair.

The sky is fading into the void. All color is fading into nothingness.

Where there were once many creatures and creations is now emptiness. Any feelings of humanity are lost.

Hope is quickly dying. Instead of dreams, there are only nightmares. A dark, shivering feeling encompasses her.

Lastly, there is existence itself fading. It’s like the universe is ceasing to exist. Everything that once was has snapped away into dying.

She blacks out again with the horror of these images haunting her.

-----

When Winnie comes to, a bright light almost instantly puts her back into a void, though this one is made from searing whiteness instead of abyssal blackness. After she blinks a couple of times, she sees someone standing over her.

  “Are you Arceus?” Winnie rasps.

The figure shakes its head. “Sweetie, you know who I am. I’m Doctor Dickinson, Alyssa’s mother. Tell me please, what is the last thing you remember?”

Winnie searches in her mind for her memories. The last thing she remembers is those horrible nightmares. Those images of the universe destroying itself are so haunting. Winnie isn’t sure she’ll ever be able to forget that.

But then Winnie remembers what happened before the nightmares. “I was in the battle competition thing. Carnelian refused to listen to me and got defeated. Again. I was trying to comfort him when there was this bright light and... I don’t know. That’s the last thing I remember before I passed out.”

  “Carnelian used Hyper Beam on you,” a new voice arises, and Winnie looks to the side to see Alyssa there beside the hospital bed she’s lying in. “Flower went running to get you help right away. I made sure that you got here safely.”

Angie looks between her daughter and Winnie. “Winnie, I am not normally supposed to do this but as my daughter’s friend, I am inviting you to stay at our home until you are fully recovered. I know that your parents live far away up north in Snowpoint City, and your dorm would not be a suitable place for you to recover. Would you like to stay with us?”

Winnie is shocked. No human has ever cared that much for her before. Flower is the one one who has ever come close. Swallowing her rising emotions, she says, “If I won’t be a burden, I would like that very much.”

Angie looks softly at Winnie. “You will never be a burden. Let me just call my wife and then we will get things sorted for you to come home. I’ll be back shortly.”

Angie leaves the room, leaving just Winnie and Alyssa inside. Winnie knows she should probably tell someone about her nightmares, but they were so horrible that she just needs time to process them all first. So, she decides to simply pet Flower as she thinks about what’s coming next.

???

  “Well?”

  “The subject is restless today. Its heart rate has increased exponentially. There is a major shift in brainwaves. It hasn’t been very cooperative with any of our tests. I ask for permission to use electroshock.”

The man gazes up at the Pokémon in the fluid-filled tank in front of him, a wicked smirk stretching on his lips. It stares back down at him, eyes wide and terror-stricken.

  “Yes… Yes, you may. Make sure it hurts.”

The creature’s screams shake the mountains.

Chapter Text

The Judge

Tell me, child. Do you know what it’s like to watch the world die?

Before tonight, Shelby would have said no, but as she is witnessing life decay into nothingness, she has her answer.

Yes, you have. And you will. Over and over, you will. You will watch everything and everyone you have ever loved die. And if you do not do something about it, you will, too.

It’s all too much. She can’t do this. She wants to leave this place, close her eyes and never have to glimpse this again, but she knows that’s impossible, that it isn’t that easy to escape the horrors.

Do you want to live or do you want to die?

Something huge materializes before her. She can’t make out what it is, but it has eyes like fire.

ANSWER ME!

  “I want to live!” Shelby yells, jerking up in her bed. She’s covered in sweat and breathing harshly, shaking all over.

  “Uhh,” her confused roommate blinks. “What?”

The Guardian

When Emma’s phone buzzes from beneath her pillow, she gets up and tries to get ready as quietly as possible, but Jess still rolls over in her own bed groggily, blinking. Cali is still cuddled up against the small of her back, her own slumber undisturbed.

  “Getting ready?” Jess croaks, her voice hoarse with sleep.

  “Yep,” Emma confirms.

  “Knock them off their feet,” Jess says.

Emma smiles. “That’s the plan.”

It’s the semi-finals.

It is six in the morning and the sky is still black, though the faint pastels of the early dawn sun are beginning to paint the edges of the horizon. However, the usually-vibrant hues of orange and pink and gold are muted beneath a blanket of clouds, and rain taps persistently against the window. 

It’s the third day of the competition and Emma feels exhausted. As fun as battling is, she never gets any rest when she eventually goes home. The dreams are coming in more often, filling her sleeping mind with hazes of darkness and horrible death. 

No matter. No storm or dreams will extinguish Emma’s fire.

She dresses in light clothes, knowing she will need to be comfortable for what was to soon come. Downstairs in the cafe, a few other kids are already awake and enjoying the early breakfast being served. Emma is too nervous to eat much, so she just has a small cup of coffee and a muffin.

Hearthome City Stadium is alive and active, even before daybreak, even with rain teeming from the sky. Tractors groom the huge stretch of dirt battlefield, PA systems crackle with several different tests, worried trainers bark orders to their energetic Pokémon, Pokémon shriek and call to one another, all of them knowing what day it is.

Emma’s team is no different. 

The trainer room is the place for trainers to wind down and relax in the mayhem of battles, a safe haven of sorts. Several of them spent their hours before the big event inside, talking or reading. It isn’t too fancy. The walls are stark white and seem even brighter in the overhead lights. There are several couches where trainers can hang out with visiting friends and family or rest in between battles. TVs mounted in the corners allow them to review the fights thanks to live feed. The flow of VIP visitors who are escorted through is constant. 

When Emma steps inside, a group of young trainers are playing pool at the pool table inside. Another trainer is standing in front of one of the TVs, his arms crossed over his chest, head tilted towards the battle being replayed from the day before: a Sableye and Sawsbuck are dueling it out onscreen, but Emma already knew it had been the Sableye that won.

Emma goes over to a quiet corner and releases her team: Nugget the Herdier, Tenor the Kricketune, and Emil the Rowlet. They’re given a light breakfast while she checks them all over. Nothing is out of the ordinary. Nothing is wrong. She decides to leave them to eat while she gets changed. She knows it’s a bit early for getting into uniform, but her nerves are on fire and she needs to be ready for what’s to come.

Her silks are aquamarine with indigo stripes. They’re a bit silly, but that’s alright. They make her feel like she’s really a part of this competition. 

A trio of people, each radiating great knowledge on Pokéflesh, are in the trainer room when Emma returns. The Pokémon Doctors, advanced versions of Pokémon Breeders who have spent years studying at the University of Medicine. The mandatory checks for each of the teams are going on.

The Doctor who comes to check Emma’s team is on the older side, but he has a certain wiseness to him, similar to a Noctowl. He smiles at Emma when he approaches her spot, asks her questions about her Pokémon as he runs experienced hands over Nugget, Tenor, and Emil, checking for any swelling or bruising. He has her walk her team up and down the floor a few times to make sure there isn’t limping or favoring, then finally checks a clipboard to make sure they are the correct Pokémon registered to fight. Everything is perfect.

With all the examinations are done, all there’s left to do is wait. Four hours to go until the battles. Emma can hardly contain her nerves.

Her grandma, Uncle Barry, and Alyssa show up at around eleven, an hour before the battles are supposed to begin. The three of them greet Emma with wide smiles and encouraging words. Pretty, Child the Starly, and Starbright, Barry’s Sylveon, all chirp to Emma’s team.

  “Knock ‘em dead, Emma!” Alyssa says.

  “Except not literally,” Betsy says.

Emma laughs. “Got it.”

With final parting words of good luck, her family and Alyssa head out to the grandstand to take their spots. Only the other trainers remain in the room with her, but Emma is in a world of her own, barely aware of their presence.

That being said, the deafening sound of the announcer over the PA system is a jarring thing to hear when she’s so deep in her trance. 

The battles are beginning.

-----

  “The first battle of the semi-finals is Kevin vs Ollie!”

  “Go Cuddles!” Kevin calls out as he sends out his Bewear. His silks are like new gold with ember orange braces. His opponent, Ollie, is wearing lavender silks with blue epaulets.

Emma is watching the battle from the waiting room, on the TVs, and hears Ollie yell, “Go Politoed!”

Before Kevin can even get a word in, Politoed has already hit Cuddles with a powerful Surf. Kevin looks determined as he calls out to his Pokemon, “Cuddles, use Dragon Claw!”

  “Wear - be - wear!” The soft paw of Cuddles’ right arm glows navy blue as it grows into three sharp points. Cuddles slashes her paw at Politoed. Politoed barely reacts to the Dragon Claw before drowning Cuddles with another Surf.

  “Toed! Toed! Toed!”

Emma can see from the sidelines that Cuddles looks hurt, but Kevin’s face isn’t showing any sign of weakness.

  “Cuddles, use Hammer Arm!”

Cuddles’ arm glows brick red as she punches Politoed hard, causing Politoed to fly a couple of yards away. The dust clears and Politoed is down for the count.

  “To-ed...”

  “And Bewear beats Politoed! Ollie now has only two Pokémon left!”

Ollie glares at Kevin. “Go Vespiquen!”

  “Quen!” Vespiquen buzzes before Cuddles, radiating threat.

Emma tries to read her friend’s next move. She knows that Cuddles is low on health and is at a type disadvantage against the Flying-Type, so Kevin can either sacrifice Cuddles on this turn or switch out his Pokémon.

  “Go, Porkchop!” Kevin says as he returns Cuddles to her PokéBall before sending out his Emboar.

  “BOAR!!!” Porkchop yells. Emma will never understand that name. What even is a porkchop?

The battle continues. Emboar takes a big hit from a super-effective Acrobatics attack. Porkchop retaliates with the move Fire Pledge, but it isn’t enough to stop Vespiquen who uses another Acrobatics.

  “Emboar is down! The battle is tied at 2 to 2!”

Kevin grins as he picks up his next PokéBall. “It’s time to go for a Walk!” he cries as Buizel is sent out onto the field. Emma swears that Kevin only gave Buizel that name to be able to make that joke every time he uses him in battle.

  “Walk! Use Ice Punch!”

Despite having small arms, Walk still packs a mighty punch as he forces Vespiquen away with a frozen punch. “Bui bui!”

Ollie looks surprised that the little Water-Type can do so much damage. “That little bit of ice won’t matter after you see Vespiquen! Use Bug Buzz!”

Vespiquen sends out waves of insectoid energy that attack Walk. Walk fires out a boiling hot Scald attack to wash out the flying bug.

  “Vesp-”

  “Vespiquen has been defeated! Ollie is now down to his final Pokemon!”

Ollie smirks. “I was saving the best for last. Go, Bisharp!”

  “Walk! Scald Bisharp before it has a chance to attack!”

  “Bisharp! Use Iron Head!”

The ax-like mohawk on Bisharp’s head lights up silver as Bisharp slams its head into Walk.

  “Buizel has been defeated! Kevin and Ollie are both down to their final Pokémon! The last Pokemon standing wins! This battle is really heating up!”

Emma can tell that Kevin looks a little worried. Cuddles is already feeling weak when she was last returned to her Pokéball. Emma isn’t sure that Cuddles can take it.

  “Cuddles, are you ready?” Kevin asks.

  “Be-be! Bewear!” Cuddles cries.

  “Bisharp, ready to take down this softie?” Ollie scoffs.

  “Sharp! Bi-Sharp!”

  “Cuddles, use Hammer Arm!”

Cuddles starts running towards Bisharp with a glowing fist.

  “Bisharp, use Iron Head!”

Bisharp starts charging head-first towards Cuddles with a glowing head. There is an explosion and suddenly Emma can’t see anything on the field.

The dust clears and Cuddles and Bisharp are both still standing, both looking very weak. Bisharp takes a step forward and then crashes to the ground, defeated. It is clear who won.

  “Bisharp has been defeated! Kevin wins!”

  “Yeah!” Emma cheers. Nugget barks at her side. 

  “Next up we have Emma vs. Kay!” 

Emma takes a deep breath. She smiles down at Nugget. “Here we go, girl.”

Nugget barks again, her tail wagging.

Emma walks out to the battlefield, reinvigorated by the roar of the crowd. It feels like little lightning bolts in her veins, filling her with power.

The semi-finals are a three-on-three Pokémon battle where exchanges were allowed. The first to have all three Pokémon knocked out loses. 

Kay is a slim, dark-haired girl with pink and red checkerboard silks. A Floatzel is standing at her side, smirking with its sharp teeth showing. 

  “Tenor, let’s go!” Emma yells, releasing her Kricketune. 

  “Zweilous, come on out!” Kay shouts, sending her Hostile Pokémon onto the field.

  “Trainers ready? FIGHT!”

  “Tenor, use Swords Dance!” Emma commands. 

Tenor chirps a response. His claws glow a distinct purple as he waves them around, his form straightening up as he boosts his power. 

  “Zweilous, Fire Fang!”

  “Dodge it and use Bug Buzz!”

As fast as Zweilous is, Tenor is faster. He spreads his wings and leaps out of the way. While hovering in the air, he lets out a powerful screech, a shockwave of yellow-green rendering the air like thunder. Zweilous tries to scramble out of the way, but is caught in the back and lets out a cry.

  “Zweilous!” Kay yells. 

  “Zwei!” Zweilous snaps, leaping back up and shaking itself off. 

Kay smirks. “Alright. Use Dragon Pulse!”

  “Dodge it and use Bug Buzz again!”

Zweilous opens both of its mouths and releases a jagged purple beam of energy at Tenor, who deflects it with Bug Buzz. The two moves collide, but the power of dragons is much stronger than the power of insects, and Tenor is struck hard in the chest. He flies out of the air and tumbles to the ground, becoming slathered in dirt from the battlefield.

  “Tenor!” Emma cries. “Are you alright?”

Tenor pushes himself up with shaking claws and flutters his wings, sending puffs of dust flying off of his shiny red chitin. He chitters to Emma. 

  “Awesome. Use X-Scissor!”

  “Zweilous, use Fire Fang!”

Tenor’s claws glow white. He crosses them over his chest as he throws himself at Zweilous, prepared to slash, only to be met with the fiery jaws of the dual-headed dragon. Tenor lets out an awful cry that stabs into Emma’s heart.

  “Now, use Dragon Pulse!” Kay yells. “Finish this!”

  “Use Throat Chop, Tenor!”

Zweilous’ mouths glow with energy, but Tenor slams one of his claws into their necks, choking the attack back. Zweilous coughs, dropping Tenor while reeling backwards. Tenor buzzes away, breathing harshly. He may have gotten away, but the burns sustained from the Fire Fang are taking a toll on him.

  “Tenor, return!” Emma says, calling Tenor back into his PokéBall. “Alright, Emil, let’s go!”

Her Rowlet bursts free onto the battlefield. He hoots loudly, feathers ruffled, claws sunk into the dirt.

  “Use Energy Ball!”

  “Zweilous, use Fire Fang!”

Zweilous takes off down the field at Emil, but Emil jumps into the air to evade the flaming jaws. He summons an orb of glowing green energy and sends it down on Zweilous, hitting it hard in the back. 

  “Now, use Leaf Blade!”

Emil soars down at Zweilous, his left wing glowing green. Zweilous is still trying to recover from the blast from Energy Ball and is hit hard in the back of the head, sending it sprawling to the ground. When the dust clears, it lays unconscious beneath Emil’s talons.

  “Zweilous is unable to battle!” the announcer shouts.

Zweilous is returned to its Pokéball. Kay says something to its ball, then flashes a smirk at Emma.

  “Your Kricketune did more damage to Zweilous than I thought,” she says. “I’m impressed! I didn’t take Bug-Types for the strong type.”

Emma smirks back at her. “Tenor is special. He’s more powerful than you think.”

  “I can tell! Too bad that won’t help you any longer. Torkoal, let’s go!”

The Coal Pokémon is released onto the field. It puffs smoke out from its nostrils and stamps one of its feet with a confident. “Tor! Torkoal!”

Well that isn’t good. Torkoal is a Fire-Type, and both Emil and Tenor are weak against fire. That leaves only Nugget, but if Nugget gets knocked out… 

She shakes her head. Whatever happens, happens. 

  “Emil, return!” Emma calls. She looks down at Nugget as she tucks the Rowlet’s Pokéball away. “Nugget, you ready?”

Nugget barks and runs out onto the field. 

  “Alright, Torkoal,” Kay says. “Use Sunny Day!”

  “Tor!” Torkoal roars. 

Although the sun can’t be seen, both because of the ceiling and the storm brewing outside, the lights become brighter and it definitely grows hotter. Flames snort from Torkoal’s nostrils and a plume of crackling smoke bursts from its shell. All of its Fire-Type moves have been strengthened. 

  “Nugget, use Thunderbolt!” Emma orders.

  “Torkoal, Iron Defense!”

A powerful discharge of electricity bursts free from Nugget’s fur, striking Torkoal head-on. Torkoal, however, seems completely unfazed thanks to the defensive boost from Iron Defense. 

  “Shit,” Emma mutters. That’s definitely going to be a problem.

  “Nugget, use Thunderbolt again!”

  “Torkoal, Flamethrower!”

Lightning meets fire in a brilliant clash of smoke and energy. Torkoal is being fueled by Sunny Day, however, and Flamethrower devours Thunderbolt, hitting Nugget hard in the chest. A high-pitched yelp rends the ash-smelling air.

  “Nugget!” Emma cries.

Nugget barks back at her. Although her fur is slightly singed, she seems to be alright. 

  “Can you go on?” Emma asks. 

Another bark.

Emma smiles. “Alright. Use Hyper Voice!”

  “Torkoal, dodge it and use Flamethrower again!”

Nugget leaps up and lets out a thunderous bark. Despite its high defense, Torkoal is clearly lacking in speed, and it is hit hard in the shell by Hyper Voice while trying to evade. It’s knocked backwards slightly, feet skidding through the dirt. It let out a soft growl.

  “Nugget, use Psychic Fangs!”

  “Torkoal, use Headbutt!”

The two of them run at each other. Torkoal’s skull slams into Nugget’s chest, but Nugget bites Torkoal hard on the neck with glowing pink canines. 

  “Now, Nugget, Thunderbolt!”

Nugget howls as she releases a shockwave of electricity on Torkoal, hitting it from a terribly close range. Torkoal lets out a cry of pain as it is electrocuted. Finally, Nugget lets up and jumps away with a victorious yip.

  “Torkoal, return!” Kay says. She looks at her Floatzel. “Are you ready?”

  “Float!” Floatzel barks.

  “Okay, go, Floatzel!”

Floatzel runs out onto the battlefield. It’s much larger and stronger-looking than Kevin’s Buizel, Walk. Much less fun, too. It’s way too serious for Emma’s taste.

  “Nugget, use Thunderbolt!”

  “Floatzel, dodge it and use Aqua Jet!”

Right as Nugget’s Thunderbolt is about to land, Floatzel is consumed in a torrent of water and shoots out of the way. It flies through the air like a bullet, zigzagging around to crash hard into Nugget.  Nugget flips backwards, sliding through the dirt on her side and thoroughly dirtying her fur. 

  “Nugget!” Emma yelps. “Nugget, hurry! Get up!”

  “Floatzel, use Hydro Pump!” 

  “Nugget!”

Nugget can’t get up in time. The powerful blast of water hits her hard in the head, knocking her out. 

  “Herdier is unable to battle!” declares the announcer.

Emma runs out onto the field to retrieve Nugget. Her soaked fur is frayed and slightly singed against Emma’s bare arms. She smells like lightning and fire.

  “Nugget, are you alright?” Emma asks her.

Nugget cracks open her eyes and lets out a little woof. She licks her face.

  “You did so good,” Emma says. “I’m so proud of you. You deserve a good rest.”

Nugget doesn’t like being in her Pokéball, nor does Emma like not having her partner always by her side, so Emma carries her Herdier back to her spot and sets her down. Nugget lays her head against Emma’s ankle to watch the rest of the fights. 

Emma thinks for a moment. Emil hasn’t been hit yet, but if she sends him out, Kay will most certainly switch out for her Torkoal. That leaves Tenor to hopefully finish the job.

  “Tenor, let’s go!”

Tenor comes back out onto the battlefield. He looks slightly better than he did before, but Emma knows that he is definitely feeling his wounds from Zweilous. 

  “Do you think you can fight, Tenor?” Emma asks her Kricketune.

Tenor chitters, buzzing his wings. 

  “Atta boy,” Emma smiles. “Alright, use Swords Dance! Boost your power!”

Tenor obeys and waves his glowing claws around, increasing his attack. 

  “Floatzel, use Iron Tail!” Kay orders.

  “Tenor, block it with X-Scissor!” Emma commands. 

Floatzel leaps forward, slashing its glowing white twin tails at Tenor, but Tenor brings his claws up in an X formation, effectively deflecting the shot. They both jump away from each other immediately after, awaiting their next directions.

  “Floatzel, Aqua Jet!”

  “Tenor, Throat Chop!”

Floatzel is consumed in a spiral of water and shoots out at Tenor. Right before it could hit Tenor, however, Tenor raises its claws and slams it down on Floatzel’s head, slashing through the Aqua Jet and hitting Floatzel into the ground. Floatzel grunts and backs away on its paws, shaking its aching head. 

  “How do you like that?” Emma smirks at Kay.

  “Pretty good,” Kay says. “I may have to catch myself a Kricketune if they’re really this strong. But for now… Floatzel, use Hydro Pump!”

  “Tenor, Bug Buzz!”

The buzzing melody and torrent of water clash with a blast of steam and a shockwave--but that doesn’t seem right. Although the detonation is strong, there’s no way it should have been able to rend the air in the way Emma’s feeling.

And then she realizes that this sensation isn’t from the two attacks, it’s from something else entirely. Something is pulsating through the air like ethereal thunder, and it vibrates inside of Emma’s brain at an agonizing, distracting rate. 

  “Floatzel, use Iron Tail!”

Emma can’t think. Her vision is starting to blur. Her legs feel like lead and it’s so hard to stand, so hard to stay awake. She wants to close her eyes and sleep forever, but when she does close her eyes that thing is there, leering at her. 

Floatzel strikes Tenor in the chest, knocking him backwards. Tenor manages to endure the hit and looks back at Emma for a command, but Emma just stares forward, mouth half ajar, barely aware of her surroundings. She’s sure she must be drooling slightly.

  “It seems like something is going down on the field,” the announcer says helpfully.

Instead of attacking again and taking advantage of the distraction, Kay calls Floatzel back. She then speaks to Emma, asking, “Hey, are you alright?”

Emma doesn’t respond. She can’t. It feels like something is wrapped around her throat, strangling her. She isn’t breathing anymore and it hurts, it hurts so bad. The air is crackling, throbbing with an unseen energy, lashing against her skull, and she wants to scream, and then she is screaming, falling to her knees and shrieking at the ceiling as though she were being afflicted with Infestation. 

She gargles. Her eyes hurt. Something is coming out of her eyes and she reaches up to feel.

Blood.

Blood was coming out. Her eyes, her nose, her mouth- it feels like her life is draining out of her body, and Kay screams. The audience quickly follows. Tenor and Nugget make startled noises. Emma can barely see them through the haze of red blotting out the stadium. 

Emma’s scream is choked back. She thinks her eyes have rolled to the back of her skull, but she’s still seeing, she sees everything. 

And then, something surges into her skull, like some kind of sonic boom, and invisible feelers poke her brain, worming their way inside. Whispers fill her ears, distorts everything else, consumes her head with roaring. 

   “Emma? Emma?” 

The sky crashes and Emma is devoured by the void.

-----

The world is dying, but this time Emma is sure it’s all real. She watches the forests die, washing away into ashes. She watches the storms wrath against the world, hurricanes wiping the earth clean, blizzards freezing poor people to death, tornadoes ripping up the ground, earthquakes bringing down entire mountains. She watches the water dry up and inflict severe dehydration across the land. She watches the sky fall and the color drain and hope dissolve away. She watches everything and everyone die until she’s all that’s left and she feels so hopeless, so alone, and she doesn’t know what to do. 

And then, she sees them.

There are two figures clashing in the gash ripping open the sky. 

Terrible roars shake the entire universe. The creatures are giant, and every time they collide in thunderous attack, the world crumbles in on itself a little more. The shock of their strikes sends sonic booms down on Emma, nearly wiping her clean off her feet. It is so very dark with the sun devoured, but when one of the things reels its head back to fire Hyper Beam at its opponent, she sees the flash of a golden face and burning red eyes, and realizes exactly what she is looking at.

  “Giratina?” Emma whispers in horror.

Hyper Beam is released, and its awful orange glow illuminates the white, deer-like body of something even more shocking.

  “Arceus?!”

Arceus deflects the shot with a powerful Focus Blast, and the resulting explosion rips chunks of dirt from the ground. Its horns then glow with the white energy of Giga Impact and it charges at Giratina. Giratina meets it halfway with the unstoppable stride of Dragon Rush. When they both collide, the power is unbearable, and Emma swears she is being burned alive by the energy that batters into her. Her very soul is pierced, seared into nothingness, and she feels her body wilting away into atoms. Right when she thinks her existence has been wiped completely, something whispers to her, rousing her fried brain.

Do you see it? The chaos?

Emma opens her eyes. They’re filled with tears and blood. She can taste something bitter like bile on her tongue. The world is so bright, so wrong.

I am afraid this is the fate this world will soon meet if something is not done to stop it. 

Where is her body? She can’t see herself anymore. There is nothing, it’s all gone, she’s all alone, and she’s scared, she’s so fucking scared. 

I will help you. Do you hear me? I can help you.

Arceus and Giratina are still fighting. They won’t stop. Emma wants to beg them to please end this, but she can’t speak. She can’t do anything but watch because she’s useless, she’s so useless.

Meet me in the Solaceon Ruins tomorrow night. 

A vague shape hazes into view. Eyes stare into Emma’s very being.

Be there or face discord. The sky is falling, Emma. This is the only way to stop it.

Chapter Text

The Guardian

Emma wakes up to a daze of heat and pain. She groans softly, lifting a hand to rub her head, but is stopped by a tug in her arm. She looks down to see an IV in her inner elbow.

  “What the…?”

  “You’re finally awake! Oh, thank Arceus.”

Emma blinks her bleary eyes. There’s a familiar man and a familiar Sylveon sitting beside the bed she’s lying in. 

  “Uncle Barry…?”

Her uncle smiles at her softly, brushing her face with tender fingers. Emma presses into his touch slightly.

  “Hey, honey,” Barry says. “How are you feeling?”

  “Sore,” Emma groans. Her limbs feel all tingly and her chest is like the aftermath of taking Fire Blast to the heart. Her head is full of cotton and it is terribly hard to focus on anything. 

  “That’s to be expected,” Barry says. “You…had an experience.”

Although her memories are foggy, the events at the competition are crystal clear, as if they had been seared into her brain. The energy, the screaming, the blood, the pressure in her head… It’s all there.

  “Oh, Arceus,” Emma sighs, leaning her head back against the pillow. She realizes that it’s a hospital room she’s lying in, bright white and smelling sharply of antiseptic. Nugget is there, looking excited over her being awake. She reaches down to pet her partner’s head. “Uncle Barry… what was that?”

Barry, usually very intelligent and knowledgeable about all things strange and unnatural, looks helpless. “I don’t know. But you’re not the only one who experienced it.”

Emma sits up, making her muscles scream in pain, and Barry reaches his hands out warily, ready to catch her in case she falls over, but the intrigue keeps her erect and alert.

  “What? Who else?” Emma asks.

  “Alyssa Greene, Kevin Shield, Nick Boomer, Kaylee Klein, Shelby Gonzalez, and Winona Thompson,” Barry tells her. “Your friends.”

A worried feeling twists in Emma’s gut, especially over her girlfriend. To think that all of her friends went through the same thing as she did, witnessing those awful things, is terrible to consider. She hopes they’re handling it better than she is.

  “I came the moment I heard what happened,” Barry says. “Your gran would also be here, but she’s busy right now. Scientist business, you know.”

Emma nods. “How long have I been out?”

  “Twelve hours. It’s the next day. The competition is over.”

  “Oh. Who won?”

Barry gives her a stern look. “Yes, because that is the important thing here.”

  “I wanna know!”

  “I don’t know,” Barry says. “I’m just happy you’re okay. I was worried you weren’t going to wake up.”

  “Aww,” Emma nudges him. “My uncle cares about me!”

Barry rolls his eyes. “Of course I do, you goofball.”

Emma laughs. It strains the skin on her chest, fills her mind with static. She can taste something metallic underneath her tongue.

She looks out the window. It’s the next day.

She has to go to the Solaceon Ruins.

-----

Emma meets her friends in the lab’s conference room. It’s a pretty bland space with white walls and floors, and just a table and chairs in the center, but Emma knows that it’s the best place for the seven of them to have some privacy.

They all look restless. Alyssa is currently petting Pretty for comfort, her eyes slightly distant like she’s drifting off into Palkia’s endless space. Nick and Kevin are attempting to arm wrestle to prove that they’re still strong, but their hearts clearly aren’t in it. Kaylee and Shelby keep trying to nudge each other to keep themselves awake, both of them with messy hair and tired eyes. Lastly, Winnie has her forehead down on the table with Flower’s head resting in her lap.

  “Okay,” Emma starts, “Raise your hand if you have been having crazy nightmares recently.”

The entire room raises their hands. Emma continues, “Based on what I know about the Legends and what Uncle Barry told me, something is going on and it concerns the seven of us.”

Alyssa reaches across the table to hold her girlfriend’s hand and asks, “What are we going to do about it?”

Emma starts to gain some confidence as she replies, “Gran always said that the reason why her lab is stationed in Solaceon Town is because the ruins are filled with relics of the past. I never really understood what she meant until now, but now I believe that that is the best place to go to find answers.”

Shelby looks towards her. “So when are we going?”

  “We should sneak out tonight when all of our guardians are asleep. I’m not sure how they would react to us doing this, so I think it’s better if we ask for forgiveness later than to ask for permission now.”

Nick grins at Emma. “Never thought I’d see the day where Little Miss Nolan would become such a rebel. There is no way I’m going to miss that. I’m in!”

Alyssa squeezes Emma’s hand. “Where you go, I go.”

Kevin nods approvingly. “You know I always have your back.”

Kaylee and Shelby, who were having a private conversation, both look at Emma and say, “We’re in!”

Emma looks around and sees that Winnie is the only person who hasn’t responded yet.

Alyssa lets go of Emma’s hand and walks over to Winnie, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

  “Winnie,” Alyssa says carefully. “I know you’ve been having nightmares, too. While you’re staying at my house I can hear you in the other room while I’m up late with nightmares of my own. Won’t you please come with us?”

Winnie looks towards Alyssa with a shy look on her face. “I’m scared.”

  “Honey, we all are. That’s why we’re doing this, because we want to find answers to end the nightmares.”

Kevin looks towards Winnie. “Besides, you’ll have six strong friends by your side, so we’ll make sure that you’re never alone.”

Winnie looks around the room to see everyone with a reassuring look on their faces. “In that case, I’ll go. Now, what’s the plan?”

-----

The Solaceon Ruins loom before Emma and her friends like the open maw of some monstrous creature. Emma used to play in these caves when she was little, but now something feels off about it. Something has changed, and not for the better.

  “This isn’t trespassing, right?” Winnie asks nervously. She, along with Shelby, never really experienced the caves growing up, as she had lived in Snowpoint City before transferring to Solaceon Town for school. 

  “Of course not,” Nick answers, giving her a look as though she has the head of a Hippopotas. “It’s open to the public. We can go anytime we like.”

  “I was just asking,” Winnie mutters.

They all shift, falling silent once again. The forest surrounding the Solaceon Ruins is completely silent, aside from the occasional wingbeats of various bird Pokémon. They’re all dressed in their pajamas, their partners at their sides- Emma with Nugget, Alyssa with Pretty, Kaylee with Vamp, Shelby with Lady, Nick with Ninja, Kevin with Cuddles, and Winnie with Flower. The full moon casts an eerie white glow over their bodies.

  “Well,” Alyssa speaks up. “Let’s get in there.”

They all wait for just a moment longer, then finally step inside.

Lady, Porkchop, and Vamp light the way. Carnelian could have provided even more light, but nobody asks for him to be brought out. Winnie doesn’t offer.

The glow from the three Pokémon’s fire illuminated markings on the wall. It’s Unown Script, the ancient language made up by the Symbol Pokémon, Unown. As they walk along, Alyssa translates each inscription.

  “Friendship… All lives… Touch other… Lives to create… Something… Anew and alive…”

  “You know, I’ve always wondered what that meant,” Shelby says.

  “I haven’t,” Nick says helpfully, earning him a glower from Shelby. He notices. “What? I’m just saying. It’s a bunch of old, ancient crap. Nobody is gonna know what it means. Why bother stressing yourself out over it?”

  “Because it’s cool,” Shelby says defensively. “It’s a mystery! Mysteries are made to be solved.”

  “I think we have a bigger mystery on our hands than some old writing on the walls of a cave,” Kaylee pipes up.

Nick points to her. “Exactly! Thanks, babe.”

  “No problem, babe.”

  “Gross,” Kevin says playfully.

  “OW!”

The yelp makes them all jump. Porkchop nearly blasts Flamethrower straight at the ceiling. They whip around to see Flower bristled and Winnie rubbing her foot.

  “Mother of Arceus,” Nick rolls his eyes. “Really, fire crotch? Why did we have to bring her again?”

  “Because she’s having dreams, too,” Emma says. “She’s a part of this, just like we are.”

  “I bet she’s just making it up for attention,” Nick narrows his eyes at Winnie, who shrinks away. Flower bares her sharp teeth at him in return. 

  “Will you stop being such a jerk?” Alyssa says. She walks over to Winnie and sets a hand on her back. “Are you alright, sweetie?”

Winnie looks a little flustered at the pet name for a moment, then controls herself. She nods. “Yeah. Sorry. I just hit my foot on something.” She then leans down and picks that ‘something’ up.

  “Oh my Arceus,” Nick says. “A rock. Just like what this entire cave is made out of. Who would have known!”

  “No, it’s not just a rock,” Winnie says. “Look.” She shows it to them, and the light of Lady and Porkchop’s combined fire reveals the vague shape of an arrowhead on the rock. “I think it’s a fossil!”

Kaylee snorts. 

Winnie looks offended. “What? It could be! I’m keeping it. I’ll show you. It is a fossil.” She starts muttering to herself as she looks down at the stone tablet in her hands.

The group starts moving again, venturing deeper and deeper into the cave. The darkness seems like its own living thing this far in, and that reminds Emma so much of the void from her nightmares. Her skin rises with goosebumps and she rubs her arms to try and push them back down.

  “Where are we supposed to be going exactly?” Kevin asks at one point.

They are all quiet for a moment.

  “Umm…” Kaylee blinks.

  “Oh, Arceus,” Shelby stops. “We just went into a creepy cave without any proper directions.”

  “Hey, no, it’s fine!” Emma says. “We’ve been in this cave hundreds of times before! Well, maybe not hundreds, but we’ve been in it a lot!”

  “I haven’t,” Winnie says.

  “Shut up, Winnie,” Nick snaps.

  “Neither have I. And even if I have, that doesn’t mean we can’t get lost,” Shelby says. “It’s dark and something doesn’t feel right. We should go back.”

  “And not be able to sleep for the rest of our life?” Emma shakes her head. “I like sleep! I want to sleep! And if this is going to let me go to bed without fearing for my life, then, damnit, I’m gonna see it through.”

  “Well, we can’t do that if we’re dead,” Shelby points out.

  “Dead? Dead from what? There’s nothing down here with us! Nothing we haven’t seen already, I mean. They’re just cave Pokémon.”

  “Uhh, guys?”

  “You feel it, too, Emma, I know you do. How wrong this place is.”

  “Every place has felt wrong ever since I saw the world get fucking destroyed in my dreams!”

  “GUYS!”

Emma and Shelby whip their heads around to Kevin. Kevin points into a nearby cavern. 

There is a clicking sound coming from within.

The seven of them listen for a moment, then steel themselves, slowly creeping forward. When they enter the wide cavern, a chuckle across the stone walls--and then Emma realizes it’s actually coming from the inside of her head.

You are all very noisy.

It’s the voice from Emma’s last dream, the one where she saw Arceus and Giratina destroying the world. It’s much clearer now, and she can make out that it sounds both male and female, with a very smooth, languid tone.

But that’s alright. I’m sure you are all very confused. I promise you that you will get your answers soon.

None of them know what to say. They can’t even see what’s speaking to them thanks to how dark the cave is. Shelby, Kevin, and Kaylee motion for their Pokémon to increase their fire, so they do. That golden-orange glow is what reveals the creature floating in the air at the opposite side of the cave, speaking to them through telepathy.

Hello, little ones. My name is Porygon. We have much to discuss.

Chapter Text

The Guardian

Emma can’t believe it. A Porygon? She thought those things were wiped out years ago. 

Now, I’m sure you’re all very confused, Porygon says, floating towards them. That is understandable. What you children are going through… well, it isn’t exactly very natural. I didn’t expect you seven to be so young. I am terribly sorry for what you have seen. I’m sure that it can’t be easy, but you have been very strong.

  “The floating shape is talking to you guys, too, right?” Kevin whispers to the others.

They all nod.

Porygon chuckles. Yes, yes. I know it’s very strange, but you will get used to it. I speak to you through telepathy. It’s how the Legends used to communicate with humans and Pokémon alike when they were still alive.

  “So…they’re real then?” Alyssa asks. “The Legends?”

Porygon looks at her. Well, of course they’re real. Who else would have made the universe? I thought you of all people would know that, Alyssa Greene.

Alyssa furrows her eyebrows. “You… you know who I am?” 

I know almost everything, Porygon replies. You, for example, are Alyssa Michelle Greene. Your father left when you were little, but your mother has since remarried to Angie Dickinson. You don’t remember your father, but you know your mother is happier with Angie than she was with him. You caught a Glameow because you wanted to be more like your mom. You’re top of your class, but you still fear failing. You put too much pressure on yourself.

Alyssa is rigid, blinking. She seems shocked at the outpour of information about her.

Porygon starts going down the line.

Winona Blair Thompson. You’re the illegitimate daughter of two rich scientists, nearly ripped the family apart. You grew up in Snowpoint City, but the regular cold temperatures were never as chilling as the hate your parents constantly laid into you. You bonded better with Pokémon than you did with people. You take things much too seriously and live only to please other people, no matter how badly it may affect your own health. And it does affect your health. I can see the way your insides are crumbling to pieces, most of which is done by your own hand when the darkness gets to be too much. You have your Absol because you believe you are the disaster she means to warn people of. You are so small, so young, and yet you hold so much pain inside of you. 

Nicholas Dudley Boomer. Your parents got a divorce when you were nine. You blamed yourself. You started to train harder than a child probably should have, wanting to prove yourself to somebody, thinking maybe it could somehow fix your broken family. You realized, eventually, that they weren’t going to get back together and they were happier away from each other, but the damage had already been done. Old habits die hard, but this one just doesn’t seem to go away. You need to be the best, and if you aren’t, you hate yourself and perceive yourself as weak, even useless. You pin your self-worth on the victories you achieve and condemn those who suffer defeat. 

Kevin Ferris Shield. Twin brother to Hayden Grace Shield. The jokester of the group. You live to make your friends laugh, to make them smile. You think that will be enough to cover up your own negative emotions, and sometimes you are right, but other times you are sorely mistaken. It cannot get rid of your problems, your issues, the dark thoughts that like to loom inside of your head. They’re always there and you know it, but you don’t want to let people know that, that you’re weak. But those things don’t make you weak. Unfortunately, you are unable to see that. So you keep everything inside because it’ll ruin your facade if you don’t.

Amanda Kaylee Klein. You used to go by Mandy when you were little, but switched to your middle name when you grew up because you thought it made you ‘more mature.’ But you haven’t grown up, have you? You’re still little, aren’t you? Yes. You have made yourself believe that you need to be mature, be an adult. You forced yourself to act older than you actually were, but that caught up to you, eventually, and you crashed. Hard. Now you mess with others, you pick on them to distract yourself from how awful you feel on the inside. Your confidence is but a paper-thin illusion of who you want to be--and who you know you cannot be.

Shelby Avery Gonzalez. The pretty one. Or so you hope to be. And you are, you know, you are very pretty, and yet your brain continues to try and make you think otherwise. You stare, time and time again, in the mirror, wishing to look different, to be someone else, but those wishes will never come true. You will never get those things because you are already perfect, but it’s so easy to lie to yourself than to accept the truth, isn’t it? Nobody will know if you hide behind layers of makeup and clouds of perfume. Nobody needs to know. 

And Emma Reed Nolan. Thrown out by your parents for reasons you still can’t quite understand. You’re a needy little thing, aren’t you? You believed you had nothing in the world before your girlfriend, even though you had loving friends, a grandma, an uncle. Sometimes you were willing to throw that all away, to throw yourself away, right off the side of a bridge. You love your girlfriend more than anything, and yet you know she deserves better. And even though that is not true, you still think it. It eats away at you. You want her to be happy, to be with someone who she actually deserves, but if you give her away, end the relationship, you will crash. You will shatter and you know that will be the end of you. And that terrifies you. Yes, you want to fill the void your parents left behind, but the void is filling you.

Do you see, children? I know you all. And I know these flaws will destroy you if they didn’t come forward. They had to be spoken, if not by yourselves, then someone else. 

For a moment, they’re all quiet, shocked at being called out like this. Emma is still trying to digest the things said about her friends- what did Winnie mean by her being the disaster Flower warns people about? Nick actually has negative thoughts about himself? Kevin has been hiding things inside of himself? Kaylee picks on people to distract herself from her own feelings? Shelby wishes she was someone else? It’s all making her head spin.

  “What the fuck?” Nick growls, glaring at Porygon.

Porygon rotates its feet and tilts its head slightly. I speak only the truth, child. And this truth needs to come out. It’ll help you accept the things to come much easier.

  “What ‘things’?” Shelby asks.

I’m sure you’ve all seen the dreams, Porygon answers. The destruction, the death, the world’s end. But those aren’t just dreams. Those are visions. Visions of the future and what will happen to this planet if something isn’t done to stop it.

  “And what does that have to do with us?” Kevin looks confused.

As you all know, the Legends were put into a deep state of slumber by Xerneas, Porygon begins. Ho-Oh mended with the sky, Zekrom faded into storm clouds, Cresselia submerged into an endless dreamscape, Mew dissolved away into air, Suicune melted into water, Virizion crumbled into dirt, and Xerneas hardened into the Tree of Life. They died. Or so we all think. Yes, the Legends no longer roam our planet, but they are here, somewhere, just waiting to awaken again. It isn’t that easy to kill such legendary creatures, after all. And when they do eventually awaken, the chaos will cease. Everything will stop. It’ll be over. 

  “Do… do you want us to find the Legends?” Emma asks.

Porygon looks at her. Precisely.

  “But why? Why us? We’re just a bunch of kids.”

There are parts of the legend that aren’t told, lost away to time, Porygon says. It speaks of seven souls, seven trainers, being the ones to resonate with the Legends. They will stop the destruction if they are brought together.

   “And that’s us?”

Yes.

Silence.

Emma can’t believe what she’s hearing. It’s making her head spin. 

Nick bursts out laughing. “Okay, now this-- this is good.” He looks around. “Alright, who’s doing this? Is that you, Jules? You got us! You can come out now!”

Porygon narrows its eyes. This is no laughing matter, Nicholas. You know not what you joke of.

  “Well, I know this itself is a joke,” Nick says. “The Legends are gone, they don’t exist. And this-- this isn’t happening. I’m leaving.”

He turns to do just that, but Porygon teleports right in front of him, blocking his path. His shoulders jolt in fright, though he is able to bite back a yelp, and steps away from the Pokémon that stares deep into his eyes.

You can’t pretend like you didn’t see or hear anything in here, Porygon says. It’s real, Nicholas. It’s all real. Whether you want to believe it or not.

  “How are we supposed to stop the world from ending?” Winnie asks meekly. “As Emma said, we’re just kids. We’re still in school!” 

You all have more potential than most adults, Porygon says. You are all very special. You would know that, Winona. I do believe you have a little friend who may be able to help. Though, 'little' might not be the right word… 

They all look over at Winnie. Winnie is rigid, eyes wide and face pale. 

  “I-I…” she stammers, but can’t choke anything out.

You know it’s the right thing to do, Porygon says to her. They will be a powerful ally. And Arceus knows you will need it, especially when you eventually face Arceus themselves.

  “Arceus?” Kaylee whispers, more to herself than to anyone else.

Yes, Porygon nods. You saw the dreams. Arceus and Giratina have been at war for thousands of years. Arceus has been able to hold Giratina off by keeping it banished in the Reverse World, but every strike Giratina manages to land creates a strain on this world. And that strain has grown too much for the planet to handle. Its eyes go cold as it looks at all of them. There is no beginning of the end. There is just the end, and it has arrived. Now it all depends on if you’re willing to write the dawn of a new day.

-----

  “Do you think it would be going too far to ask Walk to spray me with his Hydro Pump?

  “Nope. Not at all.”

  “Wonderful. Walk, come out and use Hydro Pump.”

The night is still young, and Emma and her friends are sitting listlessly outside of the Solaceon Ruins. There is a sort of numbness shared between the seven of them, the shock interpersonal and set in deep. Emma is curled against Alyssa’s side, trying to find security in her girlfriend’s arms, but only being met with cold fear of what’s to come. Nick is up on his feet and glaring at a tree like it owes him money, while Shelby won’t stop pacing back and forth, biting her nails down to the stinging quick. Kevin’s face is dripping wet from being sprayed by his Buizel’s Hydro Pump, and Winnie keeps her face buried in Flower’s fur, like she’s trying to hide away from the world. The only one who doesn’t look thoroughly disturbed is Kaylee, who just gazes up at the sky while stroking Vamp’s head, but Emma knows that’s just a facade, especially after hearing what Porygon said about her. 

  “Okay, listen,” Shelby suddenly says, whirling around to face all of them. “We don’t have to believe the floating triangle, but we can’t pretend like what we were told isn’t suspicious.”

  “And here I thought you were the one who wanted to get out of there,” Nick says.

  “I was,” Shelby confirms. “But after hearing all of that… You guys don’t think there’s even a little truth to it? Like, this has never been brought up before. We’ve never heard of this happening to anyone else. I don’t know, it just seems like it’s…”

  “Real,” Emma says.

  “Yeah,” Shelby nods. “I-- I get it, okay? This is freaky. It’s too much to handle in one sitting, but we’re going to have to handle it. Whether we like it or not, we actually mean something in this world. Is that really so bad?”

  “Yes, when it has to do with destruction,” Kaylee mutters. 

  “We can stop it, though,” Shelby says, looking at her. “We can. That’s what Porygon said. And I-- damnit, I want to! I want to have a purpose, and maybe this is it.” She gets closer to them, and her eyes are so genuine. “We can’t just let Arceus and Giratina destroy everything. Not when we know we can stop it. So let’s-- let’s do something! Let’s do this!”

They are all quiet for a moment, exchanging looks nervously between one another. 

Then, Kevin lets out a laugh.

  “You really got a way with words, babe,” he says. “I’m in.”

  “Me too,” Emma says. “Anything to let me sleep peacefully again.”

  “I guess I’m in as well,” Alyssa says.

  “I’ve got nothing better to do,” Winnie shrugs lightly.

  “Count me in,” Kaylee grins.

They all look at Nick. He looks back, then sighs heavily.

  “Damnit-- fine!” he relents. “Fine, I’m in.”

They smile at him.

  “We’re really doing this, then,” Kevin says. “We’re gonna save the world! How do we do that exactly?”

  “Well, Arceus and Giratina are at war,” Alyssa says. “Dialga and Palkia were around when they both were born. Maybe they can stop them? Or they could know where the Legends are!”

  “Great, more searching for Pokémon that may not even be around anymore,” Nick says dryly.

  “My Gran could help us,” Emma suggests. “She’s a scientist. She’s gotta know where Dialga and Palkia are.”

  “Oh, you’re so smart,” Alyssa kisses her cheek, and Emma grins giddily.

  “Wait--” Winnie speaks up. She looks nervous. “Before we go see Emma’s grandma, there’s really someone I need you guys to meet. Porygon said they could help us, so I think it’s time I show you.” She takes a deep breath, like she’s trying to keep herself calm. “In two days, we’ll head to Snowpoint City. I gotta get this off my chest.”

???

Somewhere in the unknown, deep within the tunnels between time and space, standing in a grove conjured from the past, a woman and a Pokémon are watching history go down.

Suicune limps out of the trees, unable to walk on one of its back legs. Its fur is charred and matted, ravaged by scratches and bites, evident of rough battling. It staggers over to the spring burbling softly at the center of the clearing and takes a drink.

  “It’s injured,” the watching woman whispers to her partner.

  “Bii,” her partner agrees.

Suicune buries its nose in the water, blowing out faint bubbles. When it rises again, its body begins to glow a soft blue, swathing it in halos of pulsing energy. Slowly, the cuts along its fur begin to mend, bruises fading away. It’s able to stand on its back leg again.

  “Aqua Ring,” the woman murmurs. “It’s trying to heal itself.”

Suicune doesn’t get the chance to finish, however, because a booming roar shakes the forest, so loud and powerful it nearly crumbles the vision all together. A moment later, a jagged bolt of lightning crashes to the ground, and Suicune barely has enough time to leap out of the way before it’s electrocuted. When the dust clears, a Pokémon as black as night with burning red eyes hovers before Suicune.

  “Zekrom…”

Suicune roars at Zekrom, and Zekrom roars right back. Zekrom’s tail lights up yellow, buzzing and crackling, generating high-powered electricity, and Suicune digs its paws into the dirt, summoning a chill into the air. When both attacks--Fusion Bolt and Blizzard--collide, a small detonation goes off, but it’s Suicune who flies back and hits a tree so hard the trunk cracks right out of the ground. 

Zekrom reels its head back, already preparing Flash Cannon to strike again, and Suicune, much too weakened from its previous encounters and not fully healed, can’t do anything to stop it. Suicune lies there, sprawled and moaning lowly, completely vulnerable to Zekrom’s rage. When Zekrom releases the blind white energy from its mouth, Suicune squeezes its eyes shut and--

--and something saves it.

A blazing mass is what slams into Zekrom, knocking it off-kilter and causing Flash Cannon to destroy a cluster of trees slightly to the left. Zekrom is beaten out of the air, landing heavily in the pond, which nearly drains entirely when it splashes into the water, and something huge pins it there with talons that were like razors. As the golden flames flicker out, uncovering sunset orange plumage and wings like rainbows to the open air, Ho-Oh is revealed.

Zekrom struggles beneath the giant bird Pokémon, but Ho-Oh is much bigger than it, much to the watching woman’s surprise. Ho-Oh beats its glistening wings furiously, screeching in the dragon’s face, not caring at all about the water it was kneeling in if it meant protecting its kin. Its beak erupts with fire, and it releases a smoldering Fire Blast down on Zekrom. 

It is then that a fourth roar makes itself known, shrieking and ear-piercing, and all heads turn in that direction, the woman and her Pokémon included. Something glitters in the darkness of the forest, slowly growing bigger and bigger and bigger until--

The woman’s Pokémon drags her out of the timeline right as the blast goes off, incinerating the clearing completely. They both land roughly in a small underground chamber, still feeling the heat of the explosion. The woman sits up slowly and rubs her back.

  “Wow,” she mutters, then looks at her partner. “Thank you. I probably would still be in there making notes if it weren’t for you.”

Celebi smiles at her. “Bi!”

  “Come on, let’s go document this before we forget. I’m sure the others are worried sick.”

Chapter Text

The Divine

It’s cold. It’s so fucking cold, and Kaylee cannot believe she let herself get dragged into this mess. Sure, she had agreed, but everyone else had, too, so it was basically peer pressure! Doesn’t matter now, though. She’s trekking through the snow and there’s nothing she can do about it. 

At first, the trip had been bearable. She and her friends snuck out from Solaceon Town at night, leaving behind notes explaining their whereabouts because it would be too hard to explain everything to their worried parents and teachers, and even that wouldn’t guarantee permission to leave. They traveled by foot to Celestic City, then entered a tunnel leading straight through Mount Coronet. Winnie explained to them that it had been carved out to make transportation from Snowpoint City to the rest of Sinnoh much easier. When they got to the other end, a cold breeze met them, and they all stepped into a frozen wasteland.

That, too, had been bearable at first. Kaylee had seen snow before, it wasn’t like Snowpoint and its routes leading up to it were the only place in Sinnoh where it got cold, but never in so much quantity. It was like dropping a blanket of Wooloo wool over the entire mountainside, covering everything in an oppressive layer of white. Her Pokémon had bounded gleefully through the white powder, this being their first real encounter with it, too. They seemed perfectly content with the new weather, despite the low temperatures, which was good, at least. She didn’t want her team to be in a negative mood when the temperature was already negative enough. They were the one thing keeping her sane.

The group set an easy, yet brisk pace, rising with the sun’s heat full on their faces and stopping whenever anyone was tired. Despite this routine, the path is hard. Even with the roads mapped out for travelers, it’s tiring, and they always end each day with aching legs and half-frozen extremities. The Pokémon seem to enjoy themselves nonetheless, singing their Poké songs to the birds and wrestling each other in the snow. Their cheer is infectious, despite the constant weight resting over Kaylee’s heart. She finds herself soaking in the beauty of the nature she goes by, looking at all the new terrains that Solaceon Town could have never dreamed of having. 

Still. The worry never leaves her.

Porygon has joined them, floating silently nearby, and Kaylee can’t stop thinking about what it had said to them in the ruins. 

The world is dying. Destruction is coming. They are supposed to stop it.

It doesn’t sound real. There’s no way it is, and yet she’s here, on this damn mountain, going along with it anyway.

What the hell is she doing?

It’s now to the point where nothing is bearable. It’s so fucking cold, her fingers and face hurt, and the constant crunching of snow is going to drive her mad. If she hadn’t had a Fire-Type as a partner, she may have mauled someone already.

  “Look!” Kevin’s voice cut through the icy wind roaring in Kaylee’s ears. “A house!”

They all look up eagerly. Sure enough, a building is there, placed almost perfectly in the beating snow. Smoke is wreathing out of its chimney. When they approach, a sign reads, “Snowbound Lodge.”

It’s mercifully warm inside of the lodge. There’s a fire roaring in the common room. A middle-aged woman and a Typhlosion are standing behind the front counter. They both look surprised and slightly worried when Kaylee and her friends walk in.

  “Oh!” the woman says, perking up. “I wasn’t expecting visitors! Welcome! You are all very young to be traveling out here on your own.”

  “Yes,” Kevin merely says, teeth chattering. Cuddles wraps her arms around him in a vain attempt to warm him up.

  “Come in, come in!” the woman urges. “You’re all soaked! You need to change before you freeze. Typhlosion, show them to the rooms and showers. We can discuss payment afterward.”

Typhlosion leads them down a hallway, and the flames coming from its neck are warm enough to heat Kaylee even from where she’s standing. It brings them to four different rooms, each with twin beds, a small desk, and a dresser, then directs them to the bathroom. 

Taking a hot shower thaws the ice growing on Kaylee’s bones. Though it stings at first, she melts into the heat, sighing softly as she relaxes under the fiery spray. 

Are you alright?

…Or she would be relaxing if it wasn’t for the voice prodding into her head.

Kaylee yanks back the shower curtain enough to peek her head out, sure enough finding Porygon floating there, looking completely innocent. Not that it has many facial expressions to begin with. 

  “What are you doing?” she hisses at it.

Checking on you, it replies. You were awfully cold out there. I am unable to feel the full extent of a freeze, but I know humans are rather…fragile. I wanted to make sure you were alright. It would be a shame if you died of hypothermia.

Kaylee stares at it. “Just a word of warning, you don’t go barging in on people while they’re trying to shower, and then say stuff like that.”

I see, Porygon says, and then continues to just hover there.

  “Well?” Kaylee says expectantly.

Well? Porygon echoes.

   “Are you going to leave or what?”

Why would I leave? You have yet to answer my question. 

   “I’m fine.”

I don’t think you are.

  “You got your answer, now go bother someone else!”

You’re scared, Amanda. And you’re lying to try and hide that. But who are you trying to fool? Your friends or yourself?

Kaylee grabs a shampoo bottle and hurls it at Porygon. Porygon skillfully teleports out of the way in time. The shampoo bottle clatters against the wall loudly.

  “Don’t call me Amanda,” Kaylee snarls. “It’s Kaylee.”

I will stop calling you Amanda the day you stop pretending like you’re immune to everything. Faking your mental health isn’t going to help anyone, certainly not you.

   “I’m not doing this with you right now,” Kaylee says, yanking the shower curtain shut again. She sinks against the wall, knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around herself, but it doesn’t stop the shivers that start to wrack through her body.

Wait. Those aren’t shivers.

She’s trembling.

Everything will be fine in due time, Amanda, Porygon says, and she can’t block them out. You just have to keep from destroying yourself long enough to see it come into fruition. 

The Mythos

Later that night, when everyone is asleep, Kevin is awake. 

He’s awake and staring at the ceiling, eyes dull and slightly scratchy. For once, it’s not the dreams that keep him from rest, but rather plain, old anxiety. 

It’s a dear friend of Kevin’s, but over the years he’s learned to bury it deep within himself, mask it with jokes. Right now, however, those tactics aren’t working, because his fears come alive at night. This is their domain, and he is their favorite prey. 

He sighs. At his side, Shelby stirs. They had insisted on sleeping together, even though the room had two beds, and her warmth radiates into him. He wishes he can stay like that forever, but he needs to get up. He’s restless and agitated and something seems terribly wrong. If he slept while his friends were killed by something nightmarish, he would never forgive himself.

Carefully extracting himself from Shelby’s arms, Kevin stands up. His Pokémon are piled up with Shelby’s Pokémon on the other bed, sound asleep, so he’s careful to sneak out before they can wake up. 

He checks on the other rooms. Kaylee and Nick, and Emma and Alyssa are curled up with each other, similar to how he and Shelby had been, their Pokémon sprawled nearby. Winnie has her own room, and she’s bundled up in the multitude of blankets, Flower laying with her. The only one not there is Carnelian. Everyone looks fine, so Kevin moves on. 

The giant figure in the lodge’s common room startles Kevin. He thinks for sure it’s one of those creatures from his dreams coming to life to hurt him, but then he notices the flicker of a flame and realizes it’s just Carnelian.

  “Hey, big guy,” Kevin says while walking over.

Carnelian glances over at him and grunts. He’s sitting in front of the burned-out embers of the fireplace, an expression of distaste twisted on his snout. He doesn’t seem to be enjoying the trip so far.

You’re awake.

Kevin whirls around. Porygon is there. Carnelian growls softly.

  “So are you,” Kevin says.

I don’t sleep, Porygon says. But you can. And you most likely should. 

  “That’s not exactly very easy,” Kevin sighs. 

Ah, Porygon sounds knowing. The dreams.

  “Yeah,” Kevin sits down on the couch, putting his head into his hands. Carnelian glances at him and draws his flaming tail in closer. “It’s-- Arceus, it’s terrifying. Some of the stuff I see, I mean. Though I guess that’s what we’re all feeling.”

Porygon nods. The future is a scary thing. A terribly scary thing. But that’s what you and your friends are going to be stopping. 

  “Is it even possible?” Kevin asks, looking up from his hands at Porygon.

That is unknown to me, Porygon answers. But you won’t know until you try. You have a very heavy fate resting in your small hands. 

The Judge

She is in a forest. It is the most beautiful forest that Shelby has ever seen. There is luscious plant life, flowing streams, a waterfall that flows into a pond, and even a rainbow. Next to the waterfall are two figures. They seem to be on four legs. The shape of the figures is blurry, but the silhouette appears to be vaguely similar in shape to a Sawsbuck or a Rapidash, but not quite the same. Shelby feels something. She has been here before, but she knows that she would remember a sight as beautiful as this.

The larger figure is shining a bright iridescent color, while the smaller figure is a paler opalescent shade. The opalescent one appears to be resting while the iridescent one seems to be taking care of them, motherly like.

The mother cuddles with her child. The mother teaches the child how to walk. Shelby is watching their life go by, season by season, step by step.

The scene changes. There appears to be a battlefield. The mother and child are in danger. Mother sends the child out to hide while she jumps into battle. Child doesn’t want to let their mother go, but it appears that they both agree that it’s the right choice. Mother runs off, and Shelby gets the feeling that this is the last that they see of each other in this life.

The scene changes again and this time Shelby is alone with the mother. The mother appears to be hulking over her. This figure must be over six feet!

The figure walks closer and closer to Shelby. Shelby reaches a hand out as the mother gets close and places a hand on the figure’s head, still unable to make out what the figure looks like.

The second the two make contact, Shelby is encased in the iridescent light. She feels an understanding. Shelby feels all the emotions of the mother. The overwhelming love for a child. The need to safeguard the child. The knowledge that you need to make hard choices to protect those who you love. It’s almost like the figure is now a part of Shelby.

The bright light shines again and blinding light is all Shelby can see.

The light fades as Shelby wakes up.

-----

The gang is trekking through the icy wilderness. The sun has almost set. The colors of twilight look like fresh blood in the snow.

  “Look ahead! A small clearing!” Winnie excitedly shouts. “We should set up camp there for the night.”

Alyssa playfully rubs Winnie on the head. “Okay team, here’s the plan--”

  “Who made you the leader?” Nick interrupts with a scoff.

Alyssa glares at her friend. “Okay ‘Mister Leader’, what’s your plan?”

Nick freezes like a Deerling in the headlights. “Uhhhhhhh…”

  “That’s what I thought,” Alyssa says with a grin. “Okay team, here’s the plan: Nick and Kevin, you two go grab some firewood. Winnie, you go climb the tallest tree you can find to try and see how far away we are from town. Kaylee and Shelby: split up to try and find us some food. If you’re not back in one hour I will send May out to find you. Emma and I will stay here and try to build a shelter. Any questions?”

Kaylee raises her hand. Alyssa nods at her to go ahead. “What should we do about our Pokémon?”

Alyssa pauses to think for a minute. “Keep them in their Pokéballs and only take them out if you have to. Unless you have an Ice-Type or a Fire-Type, they’re better off in the protection of their balls.”

Kaylee nods, satisfied with that answer.

Kevin raises his hand. “Why do you two get to stay behind while the rest of us have to go out in the cold?”

Alyssa answers with, “Because I need to stay here to start a fire and to make sure everyone completes their tasks successfully and Emma gets to stay because she has made a lot of Pokémon shelters for her grandmother’s lab over the years, so she’s an expert.”

Emma notices that Shelby’s eyes are glazed over a little. Emma waves a hand over Shelby’s face. “Hello! Earth-to-Shelby! Are you there?”

Shelby just shakes her head and looks at the group. “Yeah. Sorry. I’m gonna go do my thing now.”

  “Okay then,” Alyssa says. “Go off on your missions and if you’re not back in one hour I will send May out to look for you. Send a Pokémon back to base if you get into trouble. Now let’s go!”

-----

Shelby can’t stop thinking about her dream. There was a mother and child, and it all seemed so familiar. Shelby’s mother works with the Devon industry all the way in Hoenn, so it’s not like she has the best mother-daughter relationship with her mother to begin with. In fact, Doctor Greene and Doctor Dickinson, Alyssa’s mothers, have always been more family to her than her actual family. At least Shelby still visits her father who works in the Oreberg mines.

Shelby takes out a Pokéball so Rosemary, her Deerling, can walk next to her.

  “Rosie, you’ve known me for basically my entire life. Has anything seemed…different to you recently?” she asks

  “Deer!” Rosemary answers in her Poké way as she rubs her head against Shelby’s leg.

  “Yeah, just look at where my life has gone. Not that long ago I was just Shelby, an ordinary teen who has always tried to be the pretty one to get my parents to notice me. I have weird dreams now. Weird dreams taking me on this fucking weird adventure. Now I’m trudging my way through the snow because a crazy triangle who apparently knows everything thinks that I’m special or some other fucking Tauros-shit like that.”

  “Ling ling.”

  “Yeah, being honest, the reason why I’m even doing this is so I can get my parents’ attention. Like, when’s the last time fucking ‘Avery’ has called or even sent a simple text? She forgot my last 3 birthdays and--

Oh-

My-

Fucking- 

Arceus!”

  “Ling? Ling?” Rosemary is confused as to why her partner suddenly stopped like that. 

  “Rosie, this was my dream! Last night in my dream! That’s the waterfall, and the pond, and the streams and the cave! Everything! It’s frozen right now but this is the exact location where my dream took place! Rosie, this has to mean something!”

  “Deer! Deerling!”

  “Come on, maybe there’s a clue inside the cave!”

Shelby and Rosemary enter the cave. Upon stepping inside, Shelby gets a strong sense of Deja Vu. The cave looks like the home the mother and child were in in Shelby’s dream. 

  “I’ve been here before. I dreamt of this place, but I also feel like I have been here before, for real.”

  “Ling! Ling! Ling!”

  “Rosie, what’s wrong?”

Rosemary leads Shelby to a boulder. Behind the boulder is a Pokémon Egg, abandoned and alone.

  “Rosie, I think that no one is coming for this egg. I can’t leave it alone, I think I have to take the egg with me. Rosie, are you okay with being a big sister? I feel like whoever hatches will be a special part of our family. What do you think?”

Rosemary playfully rubs her head against Shelby and the egg. “Deerling!”

Shelby rubs Rosemary’s head before picking up the egg. She smiles. “Well, I guess it’s time to take this little baby back home, or should I say, back to our friends.”

Shelby throws out a Pokéball. It opens to reveal her fiery red Oricorio. “Hibiscus, go fly ahead and tell Alyssa not to worry. Rosie, baby, and I will take our time making our way back.”

  “Corio! Cori!” Hibiscus cries before flying off.

Shelby looks at her egg and her Deerling. “This may be a hard journey, but I’m starting to think that things may be looking up. We’ll just keep pushing forward and reach Snowpoint City in no time.”

The Entity

  “Are we lost?”

  “We’re not lost.”

Nick is arguing with someone again. This time, his victim is poor Winnie, who looks stressed out of her mind behind the scarf wrapped around her face. Despite what she had said, she’s looking all over the place as pelting snow blurs the forest they’re standing in. She’s clearly trying to keep some kind of panic at bay.

  “We’re lost, aren’t we?” Nick crosses his arms over his chest. Ninja is glowering at his side, but the leer is lessened by how much he’s shivering. If only he were Water-Ice instead of just Water.

  “I--” Winnie shuts her mouth. There’s worry in her eyes.

  “Oh my Arceus,” Nick says. “You got us lost in a fucking blizzard! We’re all going to freeze to death because of YOU!”

Winnie shrinks back at his words, then narrows her eyes. “We’re not going to freeze to death! Don’t say that!”

But that possibility is slowly becoming more and more likely as they stand there in the middle of the snowstorm, as though they’re just waiting for something to swoop by and kill them. Despite their many layers of clothes, they’re all shivering badly, including the Fire-Type Pokémon, which should have been doing just fine in the cold. But the wind is like silver swords, cutting deep through their jackets and into their bones. 

  “You grew up in these mountains,” Kaylee says, joining in on the arguing. “How do you not know where to go?”

  “I never left!” Winnie snaps. “I stayed up in Snowpoint until I had to go to Solaceon! I never went beyond the first forest! So how would I know this place by memory?!”

  “Oh Arceus,” Shelby runs her gloved fingers through her hair. “We’re going to freeze to death.” She keeps looking over at the egg she had found, which Lady is holding, clutched close to her warm fur.

  “We will if we keep standing here,” Emma joins in. “We need to keep moving. Argue while we walk, people.”

Yes, Porygon agrees, and if they’re affected by the cold, they don’t show it. Emma is right. It isn’t safe for you children to be out here. Keep going.

And so, they do.

But, the longer and longer they go on, the quieter and quieter their voices become. Alyssa realizes it’s because she’s slowing down, but by then it’s much too late.

Her knees buckle and she hits the ground.

Instantly, the cold shock of falling in snow digs into Alyssa like a Pokémon using Ice Fang. She shudders and tries to stand up, but her limbs are so heavy, as though they’re being weighed down by something invisible. She’s much too weak to fight it, much too dizzy from the awful chill infecting her body, and just kneels there, struggling to catch her breath as she’s battered by the wind.

Pretty jumps off of her shoulder and meows at her. Her sleek grey fur is matted by chunks of snow and she’s shivering badly. She’ll die out here quicker than Alyssa will.

Pretty meows again, nudging Alyssa. Her nose is so cold.

  “I know, I know,” Alyssa drawls, eyes drooping shut, tongue half-frozen. “Jus’... jus’ gimme a moment. Gimme a day…”

Pretty lets out another alarmed noise. Alyssa replies by fishing out her Pokéball and tapping it against her head with a slurred, “Return.”

The red light flashes through the everlasting white all around Alyssa for just a moment, then dies away. Pretty’s Pokéball shakes in Alyssa’s hand, but she holds it shut. Squeezing something brings a little more feeling back to her frozen fingers, but not to the rest of her failing body.

Alyssa hunches over on her knees, wheezing her breaths. Whenever she tries to inhale, she only brings in plumes of ice that scrape the back of her throat. Yes, she can feel the icicles growing inside of her chest, sharp little crystals coming to life every time her lungs expand and contract, turning the pink muscles a worrying shade of blue.

Shivering quickly consumes Alyssa from head-to-toe. Her teeth are clattering, and she’s sure her brain will rattle right out of her head. And it hurts, oh it hurts, the ice sinking deep into her bones, so cold it’s hot, stinging her flesh, giving new meaning to the word “freezer burn.” 

Wait--

So cold she’s…

Hot.

She’s hot.

Alyssa blinks bleary eyes. How much time has passed? She thinks, but then realizes she doesn’t care because she’s hot, she’s hot and she swears she’s burning up. She has to be- why else would there suddenly be such a shift in temperature?

She needs to get out of these clothes. She decides it right then and there- she’s going to burn alive if she doesn’t take all these oppressive layers off. They’re so heavy and so hot and she needs to cool down.

Frozen fingers fumble for the zipper of her bulky green coat. Who’s idea was it to wear this again? It doesn’t matter. As long as it gets off she’ll be happy.

The zipper, crusted in little flakes of ice, comes undone and Alyssa wrestles the thing off. Instantly, the freezing cold wind billows into her, and she realizes she doesn’t care. It cools her down slightly, but not enough. She’s still too hot. 

It is then, as she’s struggling with her second jacket, that she hears something whistle through the wind. At first, she thinks it’s just the harsh breeze, but then it sounds again, clearer this time, and she realizes what it is.

  “Alyssa…”

It’s her mother’s voice.

  “Alyssa…”

  “Mom?” Alyssa raises her head. She’s swaying as she sits up like an alerted Patrat, nearly toppling back over, throttled by the wind. 

  “Alyssa… Alyssa?”

  “Mom!” Alyssa calls. She abandons her effort to undress and tries to stand up, but her legs refuse to work, and she collapses right back down into the snow. The shock makes her cry out, tears welling up in her eyes, and she feels like a small child lost in a corn maze, not knowing which way to go. 

  “Mom… Mama…”

A figure swims up through the sheets of white pelting down from the sky. Two figures, actually. They look like her mothers.

  “Alyssa.” That sounds like Veronica. “Alyssa, honey, it’s okay. We’re here now.”

  “You’re going to be alright.” That’s Angie.

Alyssa sobs softly, relief flooding through her. “Mama. Mommy. Please-- I wanna go home. I hate this!”

She does. She really, really does. Alyssa Greene is never one to complain, so she kept all her annoyances to herself, but this trip is starting to be too much for her. Her nightmares are getting more extreme, the sights lingering behind her eyelids even in the daylight hours, and she’s, frankly, had enough. 

  “Please take me home,” she begs. The tears on her cheeks sting her skin. She’s hot, then cold, then hot again, until she doesn’t know what she’s supposed to be feeling in the blizzard.

  “We will, darling,” Angie says, coming closer.

  “Just close your eyes and rest,” Veronica says. “When you wake up, you’ll be at home.”

  “I-- I can’t rest, Mommy,” Alyssa wheezes out. “It hurts.”

  “Then take my hand, sweetheart,” Veronica says. “Mommy will make the pain go away. I promise.”

So, Alyssa reaches out to the figure of her mother, her entire arm shaking with the weight of her shivering. And right before she can take the ghostly pale hand outstretched to her through the blizzard, a haunting howl cracks through the numbness glazed over her mind and something knocks into the thing beckoning her to it. Some awareness rushes back to her and she looks up sharply to see two figures grappling through the snow. One is the sleek, feminine form of a Froslass and the other is the blue-furred body of an Alolan Ninetails.

The Ninetails draws its head back and charges a dark mass of energy in its gaping mouth. When the Froslass notices the attack, it holds both of its almost humanoid hands up and says something to the Ninetails. Ninetails closes its mouth and growls, allowing Froslass to disappear into the snow. Once it’s gone, Ninetails turns to Alyssa, and Alyssa is sure she’s looking at some kind of snowy angel.

Ninetails yips at Alyssa, biting into her sleeve and trying to drag her. When Alyssa proves to be too heavy, it decides to start nudging her.

  “Do you… do you want me to follow you?” Alyssa asks, half-dazed.

Ninetails nods, so Alyssa gathers all her strength and pushes herself to her feet. She follows the Fox Pokémon through the blizzard, which quickly proves to be too much of a strain for her weary bones, but she pushes onward anyway, ignoring the way her vision begins to swim into murky darkness. Lethargy and pain seize her lungs in a vice grip, and she drags in a deep, desperate breath that is thick with ice and snow.

  “Slow down-- please slow down!” she begs. “I can’t breathe!”

Ninetails only gives her a pitiful look over its furry shoulder as it bounds through the snow. It keeps going, so Alyssa keeps following until she staggers into the open mouth of a cave and promptly collapses, struggling to breathe. She didn’t know it was possible to drown outside of water, but she’s sure that’s what’s happening to her as she lays there on the cold stone, gasping and wheezing for any air that may be free of ice. 

When the incineration of her lungs eventually dies down, the humming in her ears does, too, and she’s able to make out a voice calling out to her.

  “…lyssa… Alyssa?!”

Suddenly, Emma is there, kneeling over her with a look of terror and concern all over her face. Her cheeks are wind-beaten and red, and her lips are a little blue, but she’s definitely more conscious than Alyssa, so Alyssa thinks she can rest easy with the knowledge that her precious girlfriend wouldn’t turn into a popsicle while she was asleep.

  “Oh Arceus, oh Arceus,” Emma whispers as she pulls Alyssa away from the cave’s entrance. It’s a little ungraceful and a lot uncomfortable on Alyssa’s part, but the only ones around to judge are the Ninetails and Nugget, who is huddled far within the cave. 

  “Hey, Alyssa. Hey,” Emma puts Alyssa’s head in her lap. Her hands, free from her presumably wet gloves, are surprisingly warm when they cup Alyssa’s stinging cheeks. “Look at me, babe. It’s going to be okay. You’re safe now. I’m-- I’m gonna make you better.”

Alyssa blinks several times, then squints up at Emma. “Huh… Well, that’s odd,” she manages to slur. “Honey, you’re never on top.” She then smirks through frozen blue lips. “Finally taking initiative, my darling?”

Emma’s cute nose wrinkles. “Alyssa, this isn’t the time. You’re-- you’re really, REALLY not okay. I don’t-- Oh, Arceus…”

Alyssa frowns. She reaches up and brushes Emma’s face, hoping to comfort her, but the chill of her fingers only seems to scare Emma further.

  “It’ll be okay,” Alyssa whispers. “‘M fine.”

  “You’re not fine, Alyssa!” Emma snaps, and there’s tears in her eyes. “Just-- shut up! Shut up and let me help you! I need to know how to-- I don’t know how to…” Her breathing picks up to a worrying rate. Even with her brain half-frozen, Alyssa is still able to notice the signs of an oncoming panic attack.

  “Emma--”

  “Skin-to-skin contact,” Emma says, cutting her off. “Skin-to-skin contact. That’s the best way to treat hypothermia. Okay. I can do that.”

  “Emma--”

Emma pulls Alyssa over to the far wall and then begins to undress the two of them, shedding their wet clothes. The only things she keeps on are their hats and pants. While she’s fumbling with the many buttons and zippers, Alyssa looks up at her and says, “Baby, ripping your clothes off is my job.”

Emma doesn’t react, though Alyssa can see pain and fear flicker through her cloudy hazel eyes. When the last of their jackets and shirts are finally off, she throws herself against Alyssa, tucking her head underneath Alyssa’s chin and wrapping her up in her arms. She squeezes Alyssa tight, and Alyssa is surprised at how warm her skin is. 

  “You’re so hot,” Alyssa says. “Is it because you saw me?”

Emma sobs. 

Alyssa’s smirk immediately morphs into a frown. She can feel her girlfriend’s tears drip onto her bare chest and run down the length of her stomach. Emma is shaking, but not because of the cold.

  “Darling,” Alyssa whispers. “Emma. Emma, talk to me. What’s wrong?” Forming coherent sentences takes a lot of work, but she forces herself to string the words together properly. 

  “I can’t-- I can’t lose you, too,” Emma whimpers out. “If-- if something happened to you--” She sobs again, and her tears sting Alyssa’s skin.

Just then, Alyssa remembers what Porygon had said about Emma back in the Solaceon Ruins. 

You want her to be happy, to be with someone who she actually deserves, but if you give her away, end the relationship, you will crash. You will shatter and you know that will be the end of you.

  “Oh, honey,” Alyssa murmurs. She cups Emma’s head to her chest as she cries, stroking her numb fingers through her girlfriend’s hair. She can feel Emma’s fear and anguish rattle into her as she trembles, fingernails dug into the iced skin of her back. “Nothing is going to happen to me, darling.”

  “But-- but you’re FREEZING!” Emma cries. “You’re so cold, Alyssa! I don’t-- I don’t know how long you were out there and-- Arceus, I should have been paying attention, I should have been making sure you were alright. This is all my fault! I’m sorry, I’m so sorry--”

  “Emma, breathe,” Alyssa says. “You’re having a panic attack.”

  “You’re not dying, Alyssa,” Emma says instead. She squeezes Alyssa tightly. “Not here. Not in my arms.”

Alyssa frowns sadly, knowing she isn’t going to be getting Emma out of this funk, not this time around. Her anxiety is up too high, and the only thing she can do is ride the waves until she finally comes down, however long that may take. 

A noise from the front of the cave then alerts Alyssa. She lifts her heavy head to see the Alolan Ninetails dragging in several branches with its mouth. During the panic of seeing Emma again and the ice over her brain, she had completely forgotten it was there.

Ninetails drops the branches in front of Alyssa and Emma, then goes out to retrieve more. It repeats this process several times, eventually swapping sticks out for rocks, which it surrounds the tinder with. It then scratches at the ground and makes soft yipping sounds. Unlike its counterpart, it doesn’t seem like it’s able to start a proper fire, even after gathering all the materials.

  “Maybe I can help,” Emma speaks up, catching Ninetails’ attention. “Nugget,” she looks over at her Herdier. “Use Thunderbolt on the sticks.”

Nugget jumps up with a bark. Her fur charges with electricity and she zaps the sticks. Although it isn’t as effective as an actual Fire-Type move, several sparks are created and catch on the branches, slowly growing into a full blaze. The heat from the fire is deeply welcoming.

Slowly, Alyssa’s body begins to thaw out. Her muscles loosen their tension on her brittle bones, which no longer feel like icicles under her skin. She lets out a soft sigh of relief after a while, making Emma look up at her.

  “Feeling better?” Emma asks hopefully. Her tears have since stopped, but Alyssa can still see the faintest flicker of fear in her bloodshot eyes.

  “Yeah,” Alyssa nods. “Much better.” She looks over at the Ninetails, which seems to be standing guard at the front of the cave. “Thank you.”

Ninetails’ ear twitches and it looks back at her. It nods with a small yip.

The snow continues to fall. Alyssa and Emma stay curled up together, eventually joined by Nugget, whose fur was comforting and warm. Alyssa let out Pretty again at one point, too, and the Glameow looks deeply relieved to see Alyssa alright.

At one point, as Alyssa is dozing with Emma still in her arms, a voice seems to echo through the cave.

Alyssa? Emma?

They both perk up.

  “Porygon?” Alyssa calls out.

As though summoned, the Virtual Pokémon appears in front of them, floating over the fire. It’s covered in a fine layer of frost, but seems fine other than that.

You both are alright, it says. I’m so relieved. When I couldn’t connect to you both with my telepathy, I feared the worst.

  “I thought I was a goner there for a while,” Alyssa admits. “But thanks to Ninetails, I’m alright.”

Porygon looks over at Ninetails and dips its head. Ninetails returns the gesture.

I am so very happy to hear that. And to see you both again, Porygon says. 

  “Where are the others?” Emma asks.

Safe, Porygon answers. Nick and Shelby are together, as are Kaylee, Kevin, and Winnie. They’re in some caves nearby, out of the storm.

  “Thank Arceus,” Alyssa says in relief. “Thank you for telling us, Porygon.”

It is my pleasure to spread good news.

Finally, after an unknown passage of time spent in that cave, the snowfall outside begins to lessen its brutality until it’s nothing more than a light sprinkling of snowflakes. Alyssa and Emma both get dressed and snuff out the fire. Stepping outside, the sky is a peaceful blue and the forest is shrouded in sparkling white. There, through the trees, the barest hint of buildings can be seen in the distance.

Snowpoint City.

Alyssa turns to the Alolan Ninetails. “Thank you. Thank you so much. I probably wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you. And I was wondering, if you wanted to…” She fishes a Great Ball out of her bag and holds it out. “Would you like to come with me?”

Ninetails stares up at her with glistening blue eyes for a moment, then leans forward and taps the Great Ball with its nose. A red light envelopes it as it’s brought inside. The Great Ball shakes once, twice, three times, and then stops. Alyssa smiles.

  “I think I’ll call her Ivory,” she says.

Emma grins. “That’s a great name, babe.”

  “Thank you!”

  “Hey!” 

A voice rings out through the forest. Alyssa, Emma, and Porygon whirl around to see their friends walking over through the thick snow.

  “You guys!” Kevin is waving his arm.

  “Hey!” Emma waves back. “Come on, Alyssa!”

Alyssa laughs slightly and runs after Emma when she takes off towards the group. They’ll rendezvous and then continue their way to Snowpoint City. To fulfill their strange destiny. 

Chapter Text

The Guardian

Snowpoint City is glistening. 

All around Emma, children in coats and hats are bounding through the snow with their Pokémon, giggling gleefully and smiling brightly. There are dozens of Ice-Type Pokémon, too, like Alolan Darumakas, Abomasnows, Snorunts, and Alolan Sandshrews. Bergmites and Swinubs congregate at the edges of icy ponds, and glittering Frosmoths flitter weightlessly through the air. Pidoves, Taillows, and Swablus perch along the roofs of buildings, chirping softly to one another. Camerupt and Carkoal provide ample heat throughout the city, lighting fires or standing near anyone who looks too cold.

Winnie takes a deep breath of the frosty air and smiles. “Well. We made it. Come on.”

She and Flower lead them through Snowpoint, with Winnie waving to a few people as they go along. Emma notices several of the locals glancing at Winnie and whispering to each other. They seem to recognize her. And is that worry on their faces?

Winnie takes them to a mansion sitting on the edge of one of the many snow-capped mountains that make up the surrounding area of Snowpoint. It’s a giant building overlooking the city and the snowy forests below, boasting great wealth. When they come to the large front doors, Winnie pauses. 

  “Okay,” she turns to all of them, and she looks visibly nervous. “Here’s the plan: I introduce you to my parents and we hang out for a little while, getting settled. We can’t immediately jump into our main goal here or else they’ll get suspicious. They’re already protective of this little secret as is. I’ll find a way to distract them, maybe tonight, so you guys can take care of all the scientists.”

  “Scientists?” Shelby echoes.

  “Yeah,” Winnie says. “My parents have a lab under the house. In the mountain. There’s a back entrance, but this is the easiest way to get in compared to that one. I’ll give you more information once we’re actually inside. Just don’t bring it up and please don’t act suspicious.”

  “Please, discretion is my middle name,” Kevin says, and then nearly knocks over the plant he attempts to lean on.

Actually, it’s Ferris, Porygon says.

  “Haha,” Winnie laughs nervously. “Right. Just be cool. My parents are-- they’re just--” She seems to struggle with the right words. “They’re very…distrustful. Suck up to them and they’ll humor you.” And then, muttering to herself as she’s turning back around, “Unless you’re me.” Back to normal volume, “Oh, also! Wipe your feet off on the way in. Try not to track in any snow. Our maid already has enough to do.”

  “You have a maid?” Kaylee’s eyes widen.

Winnie shrugs. “Yeah. We’re rich. Seems like it was necessary for us. Don’t worry, she’s chill.”

Winnie grabs the golden doorknobs, but hesitates. She waits a moment, taking several deep breaths, then finally straightens herself up, squares her shoulders, and pushes the doors open.

  “Mother, Father,” she calls. “I’m home!”

The foyer is bright and shiny, with a grand staircase leading to the upstairs and a crystal chandelier lighting the space. Winnie takes a right and walks into an even more exquisite living room, which has a roaring fireplace and several floor-to-ceiling windows gazing out at the snow-filled trees outside. There, in the adjacent kitchen (which is unnecessarily fancy, by the way), three people are standing, staring directly at the group like a pack of alerted Watchogs. 

Emma can pick out the maid with ease: she’s a middle-aged woman with curly brown hair and kind amber eyes. She’s holding a small toddler in her arms, which is grasping a stuffed Pichu in its chubby hands. A Grovyle is standing at her side.

The other two people must have been Winnie’s parents, then, and they did not look very happy at the arrival of their daughter.

  “Winona?” the man says. His voice is deep and gravely, like the rumble of a Mamoswine, just without the added charm the Twin Tusk Pokémon itself had. There’s an Infernape at his side that is glaring at Winnie like she’s a Weedle it found nibbling on its tail. “What are you doing here?”

  “I’ve come home for a little while, Father,” Winnie says. She’s standing up straighter than Emma has ever seen her before. Glancing at Flower, Emma notices the Absol is doing the same thing. “School is on…a break.”

  “A break?” the woman echoes, and something about her aura is ten times more terrifying than the man’s. Her leering Drapion certainly doesn’t help, either. “We weren’t informed of such a thing.”

  “It’s for a project,” Winnie says quickly. “We had to pick a type out of a hat and then do an in-depth analysis on that type. Me and my group got Ice, so I was thinking the best place to do research was up here on Snowpoint where all the Ice-Types are and--”

  “Winona,” Winnie’s father cuts her off.

  “Yes, sir?”

  “Quiet.”

Winnie lowers her head. “Yes, sir.”

The woman, Winnie’s mother, strides forward towards the group, her Drapion slinking after her. Emma doesn’t particularly enjoy the way her eyes rake over each of them, like she’s trying to scout out their weaknesses to exploit.

  “Who are they?” Mrs. Thompson asks, staring over Winnie’s shoulder at Emma and the others.

  “These are my friends, Mother,” Winnie answers.

  “Your…friends?” Mrs. Thompson raises an eyebrow. 

  “Yes, ma’am,” Winnie nods. She turns to them, and Emma is able to see the barely-restrained anxiety in her eyes. “These are Emma and Nugget, Alyssa and Pretty, Kevin and Cuddles, Nick and Ninja, Kaylee and Vamp, and Shelby and Lady.” 

  “Hello,” Alyssa says, smiling up at Mrs. Thompson. “It’s nice to meet you.”

The others quickly follow her lead in a greeting. Their Pokémon attempt to do the same with Drapion and Infernape once Mr. Thompson comes over, but both of them just stare blankly, unamused at the efforts. 

  “What is that?” Mr. Thompson points to Porygon floating with the group.

  “This is Porygon,” Winnie says. “They’re our…”

  “Class pet,” Kevin says.

  “Class pet!” Winnie repeats.

Her parents don’t seem convinced, but they also don’t seem to care enough to push further, so they move to something else. 

  “I do hope Winona didn’t give you all too much of a hard time coming up here,” Mrs. Thompson says to Emma and her friends. “I know how difficult the terrain leading up to Snowpoint can be. And to have to spend that long walk with her and her creature, well…” She chuckles darkly.

Winnie hunches her shoulders in and looks at the ground. Infernape snickers.

  “No, no,” Alyssa says quickly. “It was fine. Winnie was great company, actually.”

  “Winnie,” Mr. Thompson repeats. He looks at Winnie. “Still insisting on going by that, aren’t you, girl? It’s not going to change who you really are.”

Mrs. Thompson joins in on the berating. She looks at Emma and the group. “How selfish is that? Changing the name we gave her at birth. First it was Nona, then Winter for a short amount of time, and now Winnie. How hideously childish, hm?”

There is a beat of silence as Winnie stares at the floor, not daring to talk back. Uncomfortable by the quiet, Emma decides to say something: “…But really, the trip up here was okay.”

  “Except the part where we all almost died of hypothermia,” Nick puts in helpfully.

All heads snap to the boy. A wicked smile stretches on Mrs. Thompson’s lips.

  “Oh my,” she says, shifting her gaze back to Winnie, who is rigid. “You nearly killed your friends, Winona?”

  “It-- it wasn’t that bad,” Winnie stammers.

  “Wasn’t that bad? Is that what you call your so-called friends almost freezing to death?” Mrs. Thompson laughs. “Oh, you are just like your Absol, aren’t you?”

Shockingly, Winnie whispers in agreement, “Yes, ma’am.”

Mrs. Thompson looks back at the group. “I am so terribly sorry for Winona’s stupidity. You all deserve better than the freeze of this mountain. As her friends, I thought she would grant you that, but I suppose not. It’s sad, but unsurprising.”

Winnie lowers her head and won’t look up. Shame practically radiates from her entire body.

Before anyone can say anything else, pattering footsteps approach. Four children, all in the ages between eleven and seven, skitter inside, and Emma notices the way Winnie visibly tenses up even more--if that was even possible with the way she was already so stiff.

  “Winona?” the oldest of the group says in audible distaste. There’s a Purrloin standing on her shoulder wrinkling its nose at Winnie. “Why are YOU here? I thought you went away forever!”

  “I didn’t go away forever, Abigail, I went away for school,” Winnie says, and Emma can hear the frustration in her voice when she speaks to this girl. “That isn’t forever.”

  “Oh. Well I told all my friends you died, so,” Abigail shrugs.

  “Of course you did,” Winnie mutters.

  “Don’t be rude, Winona,” Mrs. Thompson steps in. “Introduce your family to your friends.”

  “Yes, Mother,” Winnie says obediently. “Guys, these are my younger siblings. This is Abigail, the twins Leonard and Annabelle, Molly, and that little guy over there is William. The woman holding him is Maggie, our maid.”

All of them have partners, Emma notices, minus the baby. Abigail has a Purrloin, Leonard has a Rookidee, Annabelle has a Skiploom, and Molly has a Trapinch. Also none of them have red hair. Winnie’s parents don’t, either. 

  “Wow, you guys already have your partners?” Shelby says, kneeling down to the children. Something about finding that egg seems to have brought out some kind of maternal instinct in her.

  “Yeah!” Annabelle grins brightly. “This is Skippy!”

  “Skip!” the little Skiploom on her head chirps gleefully.

  “That’s so cool!” Shelby says, smiling at them.

  “Winona didn’t get her partner until she was TWELVE!” Abigail tells her. “It’s because all the Pokémon hate her. And then when she did finally choose one, she chose that evil Absol.”

Emma glances at Winnie to gauge her reaction. Winnie doesn’t look at Abigail, but her fists are clenched and the muscles in her back seem tense. Flower is the same way, standing straight, not showing any signs of caring.

  “Flower isn’t evil,” Shelby says. “She’s actually really nice!”

  “No, it’s evil,” Abigail says, and it’s clear she isn’t taking anything else as an answer. “You should be careful. Winona and her monster may--”

  “I’m going to show them my room now,” Winnie announces loudly, earning a sharp glare from Abigail. “Come on, guys.” She then turns and hurries out of the living room.

Emma and the others follow her without complaint. They walk up the grand staircase and down a hallway, eventually coming to a dark room. Winnie lets them inside and immediately slumps on her bed with her head in her hands.

Winnie’s room is filled with Pokémon skulls. Sawsbuck and Stantler, with horns of various sizes, are mounted on the wall, and she has an entire bookshelf dedicated to heads instead of books. Emma can make out the skulls of Furrets and Rattatas, Poochyenas and Sandslashes, Ponyta and Teddiursa. She has a jar full of various bird Pokémon feathers on her desk and a basket filled with so many bones that Emma can’t even begin to pick out what belongs to what. A pile of furs are stacked on a dresser- Tauros and Mareep and Lycanroc and Bunnelby. She even has a vial of Pokémon teeth.

  “You are the reason Cubone doesn’t have a mother,” Nick says, not even bothering to hide his disturbance.

Winnie looks up from her hands tiredly. “It’s Vullaby Philosophy.”

  “It’s sadistic.”

  “I bought most of these,” Winnie says. “I found a lot of them, though.” She glares at Nick. “They were already dead, by the way. I don’t kill Pokémon.”

  “But you put up their bones like trophies,” Nick nods. “Got it.”

Winnie growls, her anger building, and then it snuffs out. “Whatever. Fine. Think what you want. I don’t care. We aren’t gonna be here long.”

Alyssa frowns at her. “Are you alright? Your parents…”

  “They’re always like that,” Winnie says. “I should have warned you guys about them. I’m sorry.”

  “I’m sorry,” Shelby says. “They seem AWFUL.”

That gets a small smile from Winnie. “Oh, they definitely are. Would you believe me if I said that was them being nice? They didn’t even call me a creature! But they did to Flower. Poor Flower…” She pets her Absol’s head lovingly.

  “I was wondering about that,” Emma says before she can stop herself. The curiosity is eating her alive. “You and your family…”

  “You heard what Porygon said back in the Solaceon Ruins,” Winnie says. “I’m-- I’m illegitimate, as everyone likes to put it. Seems a little fancy to me. Basically, my mom and dad got engaged, but then my mom cheated on my dad with another man and had me. So I guess my dad is actually my…step dad? Adoptive dad? It doesn’t matter. He wishes he wasn’t my dad at all.”

She gets up and starts pacing her room. She seems very stressed, like she’s walking on eggshells. Though, if what she’s telling them is true, Emma doesn’t blame her. 

  “Anyway, so now they hate my guts and blame me for everything that happens to the family,” Winnie goes on. “They had all my annoying little siblings to try and cover up their mistake, but they couldn’t. They can’t. Flower made sure of that.”

Alyssa furrows her eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

Winnie stops and sighs heavily. She rubs a slow hand over her face as she says, “When my mom was in one of her good moods, she told me she saw an Absol the day she hooked up with my biological father. The day she got impregnated. The same Absol showed up the day I was born and kept showing up all throughout my life until I caught her.” She looks at all of them, and Emma can see so much shame, so much hatred for her own existence in her grey eyes. “Absol is the Disaster Pokémon. It shows up when bad things are about to happen.” She spreads her arms in a mock gesture. “I’m the disaster Flower was trying to warn everyone of.”

You have your Absol because you believe you are the disaster she means to warn people of.

  “Oh, Winnie…” Emma says sadly.

  “I’m the only redhead, too, so. Double the damage.” Winnie drops her arms and rubs her palms against her thighs. Flower nuzzles one of her hands, hoping to bring her comfort. “Anyway. You guys won’t be sleeping in here. There’s not enough space, and Nick probably thinks he’ll be possessed or something if he does. We have spare rooms. Come on.”

There are two guest bedrooms in that giant house that the group gets to split themselves among. Winnie helps them get settled, but the tension in her body never leaves. Emma notices her holding an Ultra Ball at one point and walks over.

  “Is that…?”

  “Carnelian, yeah,” Winnie nods. “He used to belong to my dad. My dad raised him from when he was still a Charmander. But then my dad threw him away like he was garbage and replaced him with a Salamence. I took Carnelian, of course, but I’m not the same. I’m not who he wants.” She takes a deep breath. “I’m gonna go let them see each other again. At least for Carnelian. He probably misses my dad.”

  “Need some moral support?” Emma asks.

Winnie smiles weakly. “That would be nice.”

It isn’t until after dinner that Winnie finally gains the courage to let Carnelian out. Before that, supper went surprisingly well, though Emma could have done without Mrs. Thompson staring at her the entire time. Shelby and Kevin kept the kids distracted so they wouldn’t humiliate Winnie, and Alyssa would suck up to Mr. Thompson and his company whenever he looked like he was going to give Winnie a hard time, allowing Winnie the chance to relax slightly and share lighter stories of her childhood. 

  “I named her Flower because when I first saw her, really saw her, she was standing in this patch of beautiful blue flowers growing out from the snow,” Winnie had told them while stroking her Absol’s head. “I think she lived up in the very peaks of the mountains, but came down for yours truly. I saw her all the time. Whenever I was little and playing outside, she would be nearby, watching, making sure I wouldn’t get hurt. She chased off some kids that were pushing and bothering me. She even once led me home after I got lost in a snowstorm.”

Emma always knew Winnie loved her Absol, but now she could truly see it, that bond between human and Pokémon. It’s the same way she felt about Nugget.

After all the plates were clean and the food was done with, Emma sees Winnie stand up. She’s clutching the Ultra Ball in her right hand.

  “Father?” she calls out.

Mr. Thompson looks over at her. “Winona.”

  “I--” Winnie falters for a moment, almost crumbles, but then Emma gives her an encouraging smile and she goes on. “I think you should say hello to Carnelian. He’s missed you.”

The Charizard is then released, and Emma is half-expecting Winnie to instantly be mauled, but instead the fearsome fire dragon perks up when it sees Mr. Thompson standing there. 

Mr. Thompson, on the other hand, looks anything but amused.

  “Why did you bring it out?” he asks his daughter.

  “I told you, he wants to see you,” Winnie answers, and that much is clearly true. This is the first time Emma’s seeing Carnelian smile. “I think you owe him that, Father.”

  “What did you just say to me, girl?” Mr. Thompson growls.

Winnie shrinks back one moment, then squares her shoulders. She’s standing up straight again. “I said I think you owe him that, Father. You were his trainer before you threw him away.”

  “It is weak,” Mr. Thompson says, and Carnelian’s entire face falls.

  “He is not weak,” Winnie argues. “I can prove it to you, too. Let us fight Salamence. I’ll show you what you gave up.”

Mr. Thompson stares at her for a long moment, then barks a laugh. “Alright, girl. You’ve piqued my interest. I’ll battle you. But if I beat the Charizard, I’ll be beating you, next.”

Winnie’s stance doesn’t change. “Fine. It’s not like it’ll be the first time.”

  “What is going on?” Kevin then whispers to Emma.

  “I think she’s giving us our distraction,” Emma whispers back.

Outside, the setting sun turns the white snow to shades of red and orange, like someone is bleeding out in the frost. Emma, her friends, Winnie’s siblings, and Mrs. Thompson stay on the porch, in the warmth of the firepit lit by Infernape. Winnie and Mr. Thompson are out in the backyard, up to their ankles in snow, but if the cold bothers them, they don’t show it. Carnelian stands beside Winnie, and Emma sees her whisper something to him, but she’s too far to make out what’s being said. 

  “Are you sure you want to still do this, little girl?” Mr. Thompson asks.

  “I’m sure,” Winnie answers.

Mr. Thompson snorts. “I suppose you aren’t as much of a coward as I thought. Unfortunately for you, that will be your downfall. Salamence, out!”

An Ultra Ball is thrown, and then the giant blue dragon is standing there. The minute Carnelian sees it, he bares his teeth and starts growling, the flame on his tail popping and sparking with his budding anger. 

  “Go, Daddy!” Annabelle and Leonard cheer.

  “Kill her and her stupid monster!” Abigail yells.

Emma glares at them, then shouts, “Go, Winnie!” 

The others quickly join in.

  “Because I’m feeling merciful, you may have the first move,” Mr. Thompson says. “Prove you’re not a disappointment, Winona.”

Winnie narrows her eyes, then shouts, “Carnelian, use Dragon Claw!”

Carnelian rushes forward with flames in his mouth.

  “No-- Carnelian!”

Mr. Thompson scoffs. “I expect nothing less. Salamence, use Hydro Pump.”

  “Oh no,” Emma whispers.

Without even moving to evade the oncoming Charizard, Salamence rears its head back and releases a torrent of water at Carnelian. Carnelian, much too consumed in his desire to show off to Mr. Thompson, is hit head-on, knocked backwards by the force of the blow. He goes skidding through the snow, creating trenches in the ground, but manages to stay on his feet. The damage is evident, though; Carnelian is already hurting.

  “Carnelian, are you alright?” Winnie asks.

Carnelian glares at her, flashing his teeth, then leaps forward to strike again, this time not even waiting for a command that he’s just going to ignore. He jumps into the air and sends a flurry of spinning scythes down on Salamence- Air Slash. 

  “Salamence, this little worm thinks it can beat you in the sky,” Mr. Thompson says. “Let’s show it. Use Dragon Rush.”

Salamence growls in confirmation. A deep purple aura crawls up from its feet, consuming its entire body until it’s veiled in terrifying power. Then, it lunges forward, spreading its massive wings and charging right through Air Slash. Carnelian attempts to evade, but he’s rammed into hard, hit right out of the sky. A small plume of ice explodes through the air when he hits the ground.

  “Carnelian!” Winnie cries.

Carnelian, dripping wet and spitting mad, rolls over, but his injuries keep him from bouncing back right away. He’s in pain and there’s no way he can hide it. 

  “Carnelian, listen to me,” Winnie softens her voice to the dragon, and Emma has to strain her ears to listen. “I know you’re angry. I am, too. You didn’t deserve to be thrown away. You’re so much better than what Father makes you out to be. And you certainly don’t deserve a weak trainer like me, but, right now, I’m all there is. You don’t have to like me, but I need you to listen to me. I want to prove to Father how good we are as much as you do. So, please, Carnelian. Trust me.”

Carnelian stares back at her, then slowly rises to his feet, shaking snow off of his wings. 

  “Alright. Carnelian, use Dragon Claw!”

Carnelian rushes forward. Like before, there are flames in his mouth.

Mr. Thompson laughs. “You stupid girl. You’ll never learn. Salamence, let’s end this embarrassment already. Use Thunder Fang.”

Salamence soars down from the sky at Carnelian, its razor-sharp teeth buzzing with yellow electricity. Right before it can land a devastating, super-effective bite, however, Carnelian snaps his jaws shut and raises his talons, which are consumed in a blue glow. Salamence notices this, as does Mr. Thompson, but there’s no time to dodge before Salamence is jabbed in the throat by Dragon Claw. 

  “No!” Mr. Thompson yells.

  “Yes!” Winnie lights up.

  “He listened to her!” Kevin shouts, grabbing and shaking the nearest person, which happens to be Nick. “He really listened to her! Oh my Arceus! Go Carnelian!”

Salamence is thrown backwards from the force of the hit, but manages to land on its feet. It bares its teeth at Carnelian, simmering with rage.

  “Well, I’ll be damned,” Mr. Thompson says. “You actually managed to hit. Maybe you aren’t as big of a mistake as I thought.”

  “I told you, Father,” Winnie says.

  “I was talking to the Charizard.”

  “I know.”

Carnelian and Salamence circle each other slowly, teeth flashing, claws ready. The tension in the dragons is almost palpable as they await commands.

  “Salamence, use Hydro Pump!”

  “Carnelian, use Flamethrower!”

The two moves clash, bursting into steam. Neither Winnie nor her father let the smog deter them.

  “Salamence, use Thunder Fang!”

  “Carnelian, use Air Slash!”

The mist is whipped up as the dragons lunge into the air. Salamence jets at Carnelian, its maw gaping and full of electricity, but Carnelian swoops out of the way and sends a barrage of glowing aether scythes down on Salamence’s back, knocking it to the ground.

  “Carnelian is responding beautifully,” Alyssa comments, sounding awed.

  “I didn’t think he had it in him,” Nick says.

  “Neither did I,” Alyssa admits. 

Emma smiles. “He can kick ass with Winnie.”

Carnelian and Salamence bob and weave in the sky, orange scales seething against blue scales, torrents of water and flashes of fire clashing in misty arrays of power. Thunder Fang against Dragon Claw, Hydro Pump against Flamethrower, Dragon Rush against Air Slash- the battle rages on.

  “I’ve had enough of your games, child,” Mr. Thompson growls out at one point, when Carnelian simply refuses to stay down. “Salamence, Draco Meteor!”

Salamence takes off and spreads its wings to the setting sun with an earth-shaking roar. Meteors wreathed in purple flames are summoned at the dragon’s clarion call, raining down on the battlefield. Carnelian attempts to evade at Winnie’s command, but the attack is much too fast for him and he’s overwhelmed by the power, slammed into the ground as fireballs crash around him. 

  “Carnelian!” Winnie cries.

  “Don’t you see, child?” Mr. Thompson says. “You’re foolish. You and that-- what the…?”

Through the smoke and steam drifting across the yard, something sparks within the smog. It takes Emma a moment to realize it’s a flame.

The flame of Carnelian’s tail.

The intense heat hits Emma like a small truck, even from the distance she’s at. As Carnelian rises back onto his feet, the snow, turned to sludge when mixed with the dirt of the battlefield, begins to rapidly melt, becoming puddles around his talons. His eyes are alight with crimson fury and his tail is a giant inferno, bigger than even his own body. He lets out an enraged roar, shooting Flamethrower at the sky to show Mr. Thompson exactly how he’s feeling.

  “What-- what’s going on?” Annabelle stammers fearfully.

  “That’s Blaze, Carnelian’s ability,” Alyssa says. “It activates when Charizard takes major damage and is on its last legs, powering up all Fire-Type moves.”

  “He doesn’t look too happy,” Kaylee comments. The heat is immense; sweat is starting to bead on their faces.

  “Ah, Blaze,” Mr. Thompson says. “I remember when you first used your ability. You were still a Charmander. I should have known you would grow to be a disappointment the moment you got scared of your own flame.”

Carnelian snarls lowly. Smoke that is crackling with embers wreaths from his nostrils and winds around his horns. He looks back at Winnie, eyes still red with rage, and makes an affirmative noise, ready for her commands. 

  “Are you sure you can go on, Carnelian?” Winnie asks softly.

Carnelian nods. His flame is taller than her and shows no signs of going down.

  “Alright. Then use Flamethrower!”

  “Salamence, Hydro Pump. Knock the little worm out already.”

The two moves clash, but there is a visible advantage going on. Even though Hydro Pump should have easily put out Flamethrower, Carnelian’s Blaze is an unstoppable and overpowering thing. The fire devours the torrent and hits Salamence square in the chest, inflicting it with Burn and knocking it back. Carnelian lets out a victorious roar, beating his wings and swinging his flickering tail.

  “Go at it, Carnelian! Use Dragon Claw!”

  “Dragon Rush, Salamence!”

Carnelian shoots forward, claws growing with draconic aura. Salamence attempts to gather its own power for a deadly charge, but Carnelian manages to strike first, lancing his talons right into its neck. Salamence goes down with an explosion of dust and struggles to get back up. 

  “Let’s finish this. Carnelian, use Flamethrower!”

Mr. Thompson says nothing.

Salamence looks desperately at its trainer, but Winnie’s father gives no command as Carnelian inhales deeply, gathering his raging fire for a final blow. 

  “Father!” Winnie yells.

  “Salamence must learn the hard way,” Mr. Thompson says as the flames are brought down on the Dragon Pokémon. He isn’t even deterred by Salamence’s cry of pain. “Weak creatures are punished for insolence. You would know, Winona.”

Emma sees Winnie clench her fists. She can’t believe what she’s hearing; this man truly is evil for letting his poor Pokémon be beaten to the ground like this. It isn’t a battle anymore, this is some kind of fucked up corporal punishment.

Salamence is thoroughly knocked out, but Mr. Thompson still won’t return it. Carnelian doesn’t seem willing to stop attacking, either, consumed by his own flaming fury.

  “Carnelian, no!” Winnie yells as Carnelian charges Hyper Beam. “Flower! Stop Carnelian! Use Ice Beam!”

Flower leaps up from her spot on the porch and dashes into the yard, firing a blast of ice at Carnelian. To a Fire-Type so deep in Blaze like Carnelian, the move is barely a tickle, but it succeeds in pulling his attention away from Salamence. He whips his head around to Flower and fills his mouth with fire, preparing to smolder her into nothing but black ashes. 

That’s when Winnie runs forward and grabs Carnelian, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him a fierce hug.

No doubt that his scales have to be burning hot, but it doesn’t appear to deter Winnie as she grasps onto the frenzied Pokémon, holding tightly when he seems so very close to shattering into thousands of molten pieces. Carnelian’s tail swings this way and that, throwing giant embers across the yard that sizzle into the snow and mud accumulated across the ground, and he beats his wings over Winnie’s head while screeching so loudly Emma is surprised an avalanche doesn’t start.

  “I know, Carnelian,” Winnie whispers. “I know. I’m so sorry this is happening. I know you’re upset, but I need you to calm down.”

Carnelian stops roaring and heaves his breaths, exhaling giant black plumes of ash. His eyes are still red, but there’s tears gathering there, glittering and translucent like diamonds. 

  “Please,” Winnie begs. “Please calm down. I know you’re not like this. Come back to me.”

Carnelian doesn’t move for a moment, then finally hangs his head and begins to weep. Emma has never heard a Pokémon cry with so much intensity before, and it makes her heart feel like it’s being ripped out and pulverized by an Excadrill’s Drill Run.

  “Does this mean Winnie wins?” Shelby asks softly.

  “I think so,” Alyssa answers.

  “Well, well,” Mrs. Thompson chuckles, striding forward with her Drapion right behind her. She claps slowly. “I must say, Winona, I am impressed. Perhaps you aren’t as useless as we thought.”

  “Thank you, Mother,” Winnie dips her head. Emma didn’t realize that was a compliment. 

  “Don’t fool yourself, Mary,” Mr. Thompson says, finally returning his Salamence to its Ultra Ball. “This proves nothing.” He looks up at Carnelian, who has since calmed down. His tail is back down to its normal size. “You’ve gone soft. Not that you were ever anything fearsome in the first place. I would have you whipped if you didn’t belong to her.” He shoots a glare at Winnie.

  “How can you say that about him, Father?” Winnie says, and her defiance is surprising to Emma. “Carnelian just beat your Salamence and you continue to berate him? What is wrong with you?”

Crack, goes something in Mr. and Mrs. Thompson’s heads.

Winnie notices it first, the way her mother’s twisted expression twitches and ripples on her face like a melting wax mask, the way her father’s nostrils flare with a silent breath, the way a diseased light flickers on behind both of their eyes, and then Emma and her friends follow. They can see it now, too, how Mr. and Mrs. Thompson still have the same looks on their faces from when they insulted Winnie, but just slightly lopsided. It’s like a wrinkled photograph cut from a magazine or a blurry movie still. There is something awful swimming behind those eyes, and Winnie has accidentally awakened it. 

Or, perhaps, it was intentional.

It is then that Emma realizes what’s going on.

They have their distraction. 

Winnie is very tense, so much so that Emma can see the muscles in her neck bunching up and popping out painfully. Her knees are starting to shake and a bead of sweat runs down the side of her face slowly. Emma has seen her scared before, but this is nothing like the fear that came from teasing at school or being called on in class or getting humiliated somehow.

Winnie is terrified. Genuinely terrified. Like she thinks she is going to die.

But still, she doesn’t stand down and she doesn’t begin spewing apologies. Whatever she’s planning, she’s sticking to it, and Emma starts to wonder if this was all thought out on her part or purely improvised. Either way, for better or for worse, her parents had their attention entirely on her.

  “Winona,” Mrs. Thompson says calmly, but they all still shiver, and not because of the nighttime chill beginning to set in. The weight of the disgust in that one simple word--Emma hopes she will never have to hear anyone say her name like that. Mrs. Thompson may as well have called her daughter ‘Disappointment.’ “Dear. Come here.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Winnie says obediently. She returns a very worried-looking Carnelian to his Ultra Ball, then walks over to her mother with her head down. Mrs. Thompson sets a hand on her shoulder, and her fingernails are like Weavile claws.

  “I think we need to have a talk,” Mrs. Thompson says to Winnie.

  “Yes, ma’am,” Winnie says again.

Mrs. Thompson raises her head to the spectators. She has a small smile on her lips. “Children, I think you should head to your rooms. It gets cold at night. Best to go stay where it’s warm.”

There’s no way to argue with this woman, especially when she has such a dark look in her eyes, so Emma, her friends, and Winnie’s younger siblings alike excuse themselves and head back inside. Emma catches a glance over her shoulder just before walking out of sight and sees Winnie, rigid, being stared down at her by her two seething parents.

She hopes the poor girl will be alright, but that just seems like wishful thinking.

-----

Flower comes to them when it’s completely dark out. By then, the house is silent and everyone seems to be asleep. It’s the perfect time to find this ‘secret’ Winnie continues to refer to. 

The room they’re taken to isn’t even a room at all. Rather, disguised as a regular closet in the library, is a shiny white elevator that bleeds bright light across the ground when the sliding doors open up. The seven of them exchange looks, then step inside.

Deep within the Snowpoint mountains, hidden under the Thompson house, is a secret lab, and its insides are revealed to Emma and her friends that night. 

Bright white walls. Bright white floors. Bright white ceilings. Bright white lights. Everything is bright and white, a stark contrast to the darkness of the mansion upstairs, and it hurts Emma’s eyes. For a moment, she thinks she’s back outside in the snow, the sun glaring against the frost to create a blinding effect, and it’s certainly cold enough down here to be like the Snowpoint wilds, but then her vision adjusts and her corneas stop melting, and she’s able to see the hallway stretched before her and the display cases built into it.

Behind refined glass, several artifacts are set up, most likely to boast some type of value to whoever may come down here. Emma can see several broken fossils, ancient teeth, and old claws, and begins to wonder if this is where Winnie had gotten her love for Vullaby Philosophy from. But there are other artifacts, too, like the broken hilt of a sword, the shedded skin of a Pokémon that Emma can’t recognize at all, and the red shard of a gemstone.

  “I think that’s the sword from the Veilstone Myth,” Alyssa says, nodding at the rust hilt. “Remember? The man who took up a sword and slayed Pokémon with it. Eventually, all the Pokémon fled in terror, so he went looking for them. When he finally found one, it told him of his sins and he apologized for the things he did.”

  “Yeah, I never understood that one,” Shelby says. “I mean, he killed Pokémon. But he just got off with, what, a warning? A lecture?” She shakes her head. “It doesn’t make any sense to me. He should have been punished.”

Alyssa nods. “I agree.”

  “But isn’t that just a myth?” Nick says, squinting at the hilt. “I mean, it’s right in the name. Veilstone Myth. This can’t be the actual sword.”

  “We also thought the Legends were just myths,” Emma puts in.

She’s right, Porygon joins, and their voice in the quiet underground makes Emma jump. There is a lot you do not know. Much has been buried by time.

  “Mr. Thompson? Is that you?” a new voice joins, coming from deeper within the lab. “I wasn’t expect--”

A scientist dressed in a trademarked lab coat and flanked by a Riolu stops mid-sentence as he steps into the hallway from the room at the end of the corridor. His mouth hangs open for a moment, then his eyes narrow.

  “Who are you?” he demands.

  “We’re friends of Winnie,” Alyssa says quickly, holding her hands up in a peace gesture of sorts. 

The scientist’s eyebrows raise up. “The child is back?”

  “Yes, she got back today,” Alyssa confirms. 

  “Interesting…” He shakes his head. “No matter. Why are you down here?”

  “We were just looking around,” Kevin says.

  “You were looking around…and you just happened to stumble into an underground lab?” 

  “…Yes?”

  “Whether or not that’s the truth, I’m going to have to ask you all to leave,” the scientist says. “This is not a place you can just wander in--”

  “Ninja, knock him out.”

  “What?”

That’s all the scientist can get out before Ninja is leaping forward and cracking him over the head with one of his swords. He crumples to the ground instantly, and his Riolu lets out a shrill of fright, so Ninja hits it, too. 

  “Nick!” Alyssa hisses.

  “What?” Nick looks at her innocently.

  “What the hell?!”

  “I took care of him, didn’t I? He’s fine! Probably.”

Alyssa shakes her head. “Oh my-- you know what? It doesn’t matter. Let’s just hide the bodies before anyone sees. Arceus above, that sounds so bad.”

Nick and Kevin drag the bodies into a cabinet large enough to fit the two of them. While they’re doing that, Emma looks around the room they’re now standing in.

It’s a huge, vaulted space, filled with giant pieces of tech and equipment, all looking to be lab-issued in design. Blue holograms of various stats that Emma can’t make heads or tails of blink in the air, constantly relaying data. Two tunnel-like hallways branch off deeper into the lab on either one of the sidewalls, while the front wall has a large iron door leading to somewhere unknown. Looking at it fills Emma with the strangest feeling that she can’t quite explain.

  “This is incredible,” Shelby murmurs. 

  “Yeah,” Kevin agrees.

  “Kinda weird that Winnie was hiding this from us,” Kaylee says. “What’s so bad about it? It’s wicked cool.”

Voices then come down one of the tunnels. Three scientists--one with a Chimecho, one with an Ambipom, and one with a Skuntank--enter the room, followed by two more--Nidoqueen and Zoroark--from the iron doors. For just a split second, Emma catches a glimpse of something blue inside of that dark room.

  “Children?” one of the scientists says. She has a Nidoqueen standing close to her side, looking suspicious. “What are you all doing here? You’re not supposed to be in here.”

  “We’re friends of Winnie,” Alyssa tells them.

And, with almost impeccable comedic timing, it is at that moment that the cabinet the first scientist had been shoved into creaks open and his body slumps out. 

They all stare in silence.

Then--

  “They’re intruders!” shouts the scientist with the Chimecho.

The scientist with the Skuntank raises a walkie-talkie, but doesn’t get the chance to actually radio out to someone because Nick yells, “Ninja, quick! Use Hydro Pump!” and the little device is knocked out of their hands by a blast of water.

A battle then breaks out, and it is a truly chaotic time down in that underground laboratory. 

Kevin and Cuddles take on the Nidoqueen. The Strong Arm Pokémon and the Drill Pokémon duel around the lab, Ice Punch against Hammer Arm, Thunder Punch against Dragon Claw. Ninja goes after the Skuntank, one of his swords glowing with the power of Slash. At the same moment, Lady and the Zoroark grapple by, Flamethrower countered by Sludge Bomb. The scientist with the Chimecho attempts to flee for the elevators, but is pursued by Vamp and Kaylee, who yells, “I’ll get them!”

  “Don’t kill them!” Alyssa shouts after her.

The scientist with Ambipom rushes for one of the large computers. Before Emma can think of anything to do, she hears Porygon say, Oh no you don’t. A moment later, Porygon seems to glitch out of existence entirely and appear on the holographic screen, intercepting the signal the scientist was attempting to send out.

  “What that…?” the scientist growls.

  “Nugget, use Psychic Fangs!” Emma yells.

The scientist’s Ambipom lets out a yowl as Nugget sinks her glowing pink teeth into its tail. 

  “Now, Thunderbolt!”

Ambipom goes up in bright yellow sparks, knocking it right out. It slumps to the ground as its trainer steps back, holding his hands up.

  “H-hey,” he stammers. “Let’s talk about this.”

But then Cuddles comes up from behind him and smacks him with her massive forearm, sending him to the ground in a heap.

Alyssa is the only one who doesn’t participate in the fight. She simply stands back with Pretty, arms crossed over her chest, a look of distaste on her face as they round up the unconscious bodies of the Pokémon and their trainers.

  “This is so wrong,” Alyssa mutters.

  “Come on, babe,” Emma nudges her. “It’s fine. They were gonna get us in trouble.”

  “But we didn’t have to attack them,” Alyssa says. “What if we hurt them really badly? Especially the people… Emma, they aren’t as strong as Pokémon.”

Emma opens, then closes, then opens her mouth again. Finally, she says, “It’ll be fine.”

Alyssa shakes her head with a sigh. “I can’t believe you…”

Emma frowns. She feels embarrassed over her girlfriend getting mad at her and wants to try and settle things with her, but something distracts her. 

The sound of someone coming from the elevator.

Everyone prepares their respective Pokémon for attack, aside from Alyssa, who looks thoroughly disgusted. They don’t get the chance to actually launch those attacks, however, because they all see the flash of red hair and the blink of familiar grey eyes.

  “Woah,” Winnie puts her hands up. “It’s me! It’s just me!”

  “Winnie!” Kevin says in relief. “You’re alive!”

Winnie laughs slightly. “Yeah. I am.” She glances at the heap of Pokémon and scientists. “Are they?”

  “Oh, yeah,” Kaylee waves a dismissive hand. “They’re just unconscious.”

  “We ran into some…trouble,” Shelby tells Winnie.

Winnie nods. “I see.”

  “So, firecracker,” Nick says. “Are you gonna explain to us what this place is?”

  “Right,” Winnie gazes around the huge space. The equipment is luckily undamaged, much to Emma’s surprise.  “This is the lab my parents run. It’s for testing any strange relics and creating new organisms. Big stuff like that.”

  “Creating new organisms?” Kevin echoes.

Winnie hesitates for a moment, then says, “Yes. That’s what I need to show you. Follow me.”

She walks to the iron doors on the back wall, a little shaky in her stride. As she’s inputting a code on a keypad, Emma notices something peeking out from under her sleeves. 

Bruises.

Deep, dark red-purple bruises banded just above her elbows.

Bruises that definitely hadn’t been there before.

When Winnie catches Emma staring, she tugs her sleeves down further and flashes Emma a shy smile. 

The doors then slide open. Winnie beckons them all inside.

The room is large, circular, and has a high-vaulted ceiling. It’s very dark in there, almost like they’re standing in a cave. A kind of monitor sits at the center of the space, collecting data Emma can only catch glimpses of as it blinks by in rapid succession. She can, however, make out the steady beating of a pulse on the screen. A plethora of tanks line the walls, some empty, some full of an orange fluid. The largest is at the very back, filled by a blue, neon liquid, with pockets of air bubbling to the surface.

There’s something inside of it.

Floating within this tank, there is something. It’s curled up, knees to its chest, arms crossed over its shoulders, long tail drifting weightlessly behind it. Wires are attached all over its body, which meant the vitals on the monitor had to belong to this thing, and it has a thick metal anklet clasped around its left ankle. Whatever it may have been. Emma has no idea what it is, but it’s giving her the strangest feeling of uncanny valley.

Winnie steps in front of the tank, a wry smile ghosting her lips. She sets a careful hand on the glass and says, “Everyone. This is Mewtwo.”

Chapter Text

Mewtwo. Mewtwo. Mewtwo.

It doesn’t sound real. There’s a second Mew? How is there a second Mew? Nothing from school or in any books have ever hinted at such a thing.

But as Emma looks at the creature in the tank, she can’t help but catch the similarities of Mew, even if she’s only seen the legendary Pokémon in pictures. The long tail, the soft features, the body shape- it does kind of look like Mew.

  “Winnie, explain yourself, now ,” Nick demands. He can’t take his eyes off of the Pokémon in the tank.

  “Okay, so my mother and father found this artifact of Mew,” Winne begins to babble. “Since then, they’ve been trying to recreate Mew to bring it back to life. Obviously, it didn’t work exactly the way they wanted it to, because Mewtwo isn’t an exact clone of Mew. But they got what they got, and they’re constantly running tests on her now. The project has been going on longer than I’ve been around.”

Her.

That creature is a girl .

Yes, Porygon says. When I went into the computer, I saw all the information on this Pokémon. It was created after years of horrific gene splicing and DNA engineering, only to then be used to battle. Is that not what your parents are doing, Winona? Trying to create the most powerful Pokémon known to man?

Hunching her shoulders in shamefully, Winnie whispers, “Yes.”

Emma feels sick. Winnie’s parents are fathering a new era not only in the scientific field, but in mother nature, however all of it is wrong. It’s so wrong. Pokémon aren’t meant to be experimented on like this, like they’re some sort of child’s plaything scientists can genetically modify whenever they want. 

Winnie…?

The voice slices through Emma’s brain like Silver Wind. 

It’s not like Porygon’s telepathy. Porygon’s telepathy fills Emma’s mind like cool water. This is like wearing earbuds and having the words blasted directly into her ears. 

Winnie?

It’s a female voice, Emma notes, though she can’t really tell the age. The enunciation is clear, though, and Emma is able to pick out every word perfectly, even as they’re murmured with obvious timidity.

Winnie?

Winnie turns to the creature in the tank- Mewtwo. She smiles.

  “Mewtwo. I’m here.”

Mewtwo’s eyes open.

They’re a striking purple color, like polished amethysts. They look all around the chamber, studying every person standing in front of the tank before landing back on Winnie. Then, Mewtwo raises one of its-- no, her hands and places it on the glass where Winnie’s was. She has three fingers, which have thick, black paw pads on each. 

Winnie, the strange Pokémon murmurs again. I thought I would never see you again. Not after you left. 

  “I’m sorry,” Winnie looks apologetic. “I had to go to school. Away from here. I barely had enough time to tell you.”

School, Mewtwo repeats. She tilts her head like a confused Lillipup. What is school?

  “It’s a, ahh… It’s a place where you go to learn,” Winnie explains.

Like the scientists?

  “Not quite,” Winnie says. “There are teachers at school. They’re like scientists, but nicer.”

I wish the teachers were here instead, then.

Winnie frowns. There is worry in her eyes as she looks up at the creature. 

  “Have they hurt you?”

They always hurt me. 

  “I’m so sorry. But it’s going to be okay now! We’re getting you out of here.”

Out?

  “Yes. You’re going to be free, Mewtwo.”

Winnie then rushes over to the monitor and begins to click on the control panel. A loud buzzer echoes throughout the chamber as the blue liquid in the tank starts to filter out through a drain at the bottom. Once it’s all gone, the glass walls recede into the floor. Mewtwo slumps down to her knees, the wires and patches snapping off of her skin. Winnie runs to her side.

  “Are you alright?” she asks, setting a hand on Mewtwo’s wet shoulder.

I feel…strange, Mewtwo answers. I am used to there being more guards than children.

Winnie smiles. “No more guards.” She looks at the others. “Mewtwo, these are my friends and their partners. Emma and Nugget, Alyssa and Pretty, Nick and Ninja, Kevin and Cuddles, Kaylee and Vamp, and Shelby and Lady. You already know Flower, of course. And that’s Porygon.”

Hello, Porygon greets.

You can talk like me, Mewtwo murmurs.

Telepathy, yes.

Incredible… Mewtwo’s eyes shift over to Emma and the others. Quietly, she repeats each of their names, with Winnie filling her in whenever she forgets one. She looks back up at Winnie again. Your friends. 

  “That’s right,” Winnie nods.

Nugget is the first of the Pokémon to step forward to greet Mewtwo, sniffing carefully. When she deems Mewtwo safe, her tail starts to wag, and Mewtwo becomes transfixed on it. Mewtwo’s own tail, long, thick, and still wet with the tank’s fluids, starts to wag as well, mimicking the Herdier. 

May I pet your Herdier? Mewtwo asks, and Emma realizes she’s being spoken to. When Mewtwo talks directly to her, the voice is much clearer, like someone is whispering directly into her ears.

  “Sure,” Emma answers.

Mewtwo’s eyes light up, and the expression on her face seems so…human. Though, that should have been a given, since she was artificially made.

Mewtwo reaches out and begins to pet Nugget. Nugget leans into the Pokémon’s paw pads eagerly, tongue hanging out, one of her back legs wiggling as she’s scratched under the chin, behind the ears, over the neck. 

Slowly, the other Pokémon begin to get close, testing the waters, making sure Mewtwo was safe. They speak to her in their own Pokémon way and she replies with quiet noises of her own, though they sound more human than anything. Still, the partners quickly get used to the presence of the creature, treating her as one of their own.

These are friends? Mewtwo looks up at Winnie.

  “Yes,” Winnie nods. “They’re your friends now. We’re gonna take you somewhere far from here.” She smiles. “You’re gonna see the sky, Mewtwo.”

Mewtwo’s eyes widened. The…the sky? She looks at all of them in shocked awe. I get to see the sky?

   “Yes, Mewtwo,” Winnie says. She extends a hand down to Mewtwo. “Come on. Let’s go home.”

Mewtwo doesn’t even hesitate. She takes Winnie’s hand and rises to her feet.

She’s a lot taller than Emma was expecting, towering over all of them, even Kevin, who’s as lanky as a Leavanny. She wobbles slightly, still unstable from being in that tank for Arceus knows how long, then steadies herself. She grips Winnie’s hand.

Let’s go.

They all walk out of the chamber, and the bright lights of the lab make Mewtwo squint. It is then that Emma hears a soft click and a beep, and they all look down to see that a small light on Mewtwo’s anklet was now glowing red.

  “Uh oh,” Winnie whispers.

  “Winnie,” Kaylee says uneasily. “What is that?”

  “Okay, so I may have been so excited to get Mewtwo out that I possibly forgot to take the tracker off,” Winnie says, smiling nervously.

  “Tracker?!” they all yelp.

  “Haha. Yeah…” Winnie rubs her sweaty palms against her thighs. “It gets activated every time she leaves the chamber, so a scientist has to turn it off when she’s taken out for her tests. It’s supposed to tell my parents where she is if she ever were to escape.”

  “Arceus, Winnie, you just screwed us over!” Nick yells.

  “No, no, I didn’t! Not yet!” Winnie says quickly. “We can get it off! But for now, we run!”

Winnie takes Mewtwo by the hand again and dashes down the right hallway, tailed by Flower. The others go after her quickly.

The tunnel is long, white, and never ending. The walls have giant panels of glass built into them, revealing testing rooms with various metal mechanisms. While running, Emma can only make out flashes, but she’s able to see huge metal claws and tangles of wires with sharp ends. She tries not to think about what goes down in each of them.

From behind them, a shout echoes up the tunnel.

  “HEY!”

A mere moment later, that shout is followed by the cries of Pokémon.

  “Noivern, stop them! Use Boomburst!”

  “Luxray, use Thunder Fang!”

Emma glances over her shoulder, sure enough seeing that the Sound Wave Pokémon is soaring directly at them. The Noivern’s loudspeaker-like ears glow white with energy, but Kaylee directs Vamp to counter with Sludge Bomb. The two attacks collide and burst into a cloud of smoke, which the Luxray leaps through, taking Vamo by surprise. She’s unable to evade in time before thunderous fangs clamp down on her arm, electrocuting her.

  “Vamp!” Kaylee yells in fright.

My friend, Emma hears Mewtwo whisper.

  “Lady, help out!” Shelby says. “Use Psyshock!”

  “Braix!” Lady yips. She takes the stick out of her tail and points it at Luxray still biting onto Vamp, summoning a barrage of glowing pink orbs conjured with psychic energy. Luxray notices and releases Vamp to dodge, but it’s too late- Psyshock hits its mark, knocking Luxray away.

  “Vamp, are you alright?” Kaylee asks her partner.

Vamp shakes her bitten arm off, then gives Kaylee a thumbs up. 

  “Great,” Nick says. “We gotta go!” 

However, as he turns to run again, a Kadabra teleports directly in front of them, smirking and brandishing its spoon, which is ignited in psychic energy. 

  “Flower, use Night Slash!” Winnie yells.

Flower leaps forward, her horn glowing purple. She swings at Kabadra, hitting it into the wall in a super effective strike. It’s going to take a lot more power than that to get away, however, because when she looks back, Emma sees a large group of scientists approaching them, some wielding metal cables, another carrying batons that crackle with electricity. Winnie and Mewtwo both take a wary step back.

I can’t go back, Mewtwo whispers.

  “Easy there,” says the scientist at the front of the group. “Just come nice and slow. Nobody has to get hurt.”

  “That’s a lie and we all know it,” Winnie glares at him. 

  “You know not what you speak of, child,” the scientist says. “That creature is not your friend, nor is it your partner. It’s a weapon that must be contained.”

  “I’m not letting you take her,” Winnie says firmly.

  “Fine then.” The scientist looks at his comrades. “Take them all.”

NO!

A wave of invisible energy hits Emma in the back, making her stumble forward slightly. The windows of the testing chambers crack and then shatter into thousands of razor sharp pieces. Fissures fueled by pinkish psychic fire travel up the walls and to the ceiling, raining down clouds of dust and little chunks of debris. From behind, Mewtwo rises up off of the ground, her eyes aglow with unbelievable power. She extends one hand to the scientists.

You will not hurt me or my friends ever again, she says lowly. I forbid it. 

Then, she clenches her fist and the walls and ceiling come caving in.

--

There is an elevator at the end of the tunnel that leads up to a small common room of sorts. Exiting takes them to a facility building shrouded in the side cliffs of the Snowpoint mountains. It’s mercilessly empty inside.

  “What is this place?” Kevin asks, gazing around the space. It almost looks like an office building of sorts, just with more advanced technology.

  “This is the back entrance,” Winnie answers. “It’s disguised as my father’s company, though. Only his most trusted colleagues can get into the lab. But forget that for now.” She turns to Mewtwo. “We need to get that anklet off.”

It’s still blinking, Emma realizes. 

Allow me. Porygon floats down to Mewtwo’s foot. They stare at the anklet, eyes glowing blue. For a moment, nothing happens, and Emma worries that this little loop of metal is indestructible, but then there’s a crack and the thing snaps off. Nick has Ninja hit it a few times with his sword just for good measure. 

Thank you, Mewtwo smiles at Porygon.

Porygon dips their head. It’s my pleasure. 

Once the anklet is reduced to dust on the ground, the group finally exits the building and are instantly embraced by the cold air of Snowpoint. Emma shivers, but Mewtwo steps forward in awe, her eyes wide and shiny.

The sky is clear tonight. There are so many stars, all of them glittering like captured gemstones against the inky ebony of the horizon. The moon is out and full, glowing a soothing silver down on all of them, almost like it’s congratulating them for making it out of that awful lab alive. 

The sky… Mewtwo murmurs. Looking at her, Emma realizes that she’s crying, quiet tears running down her cheeks and catching on the moonlight. 

Emma tries to see the world the way Mewtwo was surely seeing it in that moment. Being trapped underground for Arceus only knows how long, deprived of real nature and only knowing white walls and metal floors and unfriendly faces. Never knowing what the sun feels like on her skin or the wind in her hair (or fur, in Mewtwo’s case) or the grass between her toes. Never knowing what it’s like to splash in puddles with bare feet or sit by a window and watch a rainstorm come down. Never smelling morning dew at dawn or fresh honey from a Combee. Never getting any of that because she was doomed to that laboratory. But not anymore. Not on Emma’s watch. Mewtwo is out, and glimpsing the sky for the first time, feeling the open air, setting her eyes upon the moon… 

It has to feel like some kind of dream.

Emma decides, just then, that she isn’t going to let Mewtwo go back down into that lab ever again. Not while she’s around. Not if she can help it.

Mewtwo makes a small gasping sob through her mouth. She crouches down on her digitigrade feet, hands clasped over her lips, tail wound around her body like a safety belt, and she never does take her eyes off of the sky. It’s like she thinks it may disappear if she looks away for even a second, that reality may snap into fantasy and when she wakes up she’ll be back in the tank, tangled in wires and used for tests to become the ultimate super weapon for humans. 

It’s real, Mewtwo whispers, and even her telepathic voice is thick with tears. 

  “Yeah,” Winnie smiles at her. “It is.”

Mewtwo stands up again and reaches out to the sky, like she wants to grab one of the stars and hold it in her hands. She clenches her fingers around the shape of one. There’s so much. I didn’t expect it to be so big.

  “How long was she down there?” Alyssa asks Winnie.

  “I’m not sure,” Winnie answers honestly. “Thirteen, fourteen years?”

Alyssa grimaces. “Wow…”

Emma nudges Mewtwo and points to the sky. “Do you see that?” She traces a shape in the stars. “That’s the Milotic constellation. And that by its tail? That’s the Teddiursa constellation. People say those who spot the Teddiursa constellation will have good dreams.”

  “And Arceus knows we need that,” Nick says while stretching out his back.

Kevin spreads his arms to the Teddiursa constellation. “Please give us your good dreams, little bear.”

Constellations… Mewtwo echoes, sounding rapt. She looks at the two Pokémon sketched out in the sky, then points to a cluster of stars to the north. What is that one?

  “Those are just stars,” Emma tells her.

Oh. 

Emma laughs. “Not all stars are constellations. But there, do you see? There’s the Kyogre constellation. It almost looks like it’s swimming across the sky, doesn’t it?”

Mewtwo nods. The glow of the stars reflect back in her wide, wonderstruck eyes. 

  “And there’s Gligar!” Kaylee points out the constellation. 

They’re beautiful, Mewtwo says. Tell me: what makes a constellation? Why are these Pokémon up there? Have they done something good?

  “Usually,” Alyssa speaks up. “People say that if a Pokémon or person does some type of good deed, Arceus will brand their form in the sky for everyone to see, so the things they have done will never be forgotten. Like, Milotic stopped a war from breaking out between Pokémon, simply rising from a lake to calm all the fighters. Many lives were saved that day because of it. And Kyogre is able to bring down torrential downpours that save people in drought. And Gligar… Well, I’m not too sure why a Gligar is up there.”

They laugh.

I see, Mewtwo says. She then nods. Then I shall speak to Arceus and ask it to put your constellation in the sky, too. For freeing me.

  “Aww,” Shelby coos, while Emma and Kevin both smile at Mewtwo.

  “I should have freed you a long time ago,” Winnie says. “I’m just glad you’re out now.”

Mewtwo sets a hand on Winnie’s shoulder, and Emma wonders if she’s saying something to her privately. Then, she moves forward and steps off of the building’s stoop--

--only to jump back in fright seconds later.

It’s cold! she exclaims.

  “That’s snow, Mewtwo,” Alyssa informs her while laughing. “It’s gonna be cold.”

  “It wouldn’t be snow if it wasn’t,” Nick says.

It is still cold, Mewtwo says. She steps into the snow again, shivers, and then settles for floating.

  “We should probably get going,” Winnie says, glancing nervously in the direction of Snowpoint. “Before anyone finds us.”

So, they journey into the forest, staying on the outside of the path that led down the Snowpoint mountains. They stop to rest, eventually, and that’s when all the fidgety energy comes out. 

Everyone starts releasing their Pokémon to play in the snow. Mayhem breaks out, but none of them seem to care. None of them do care. It’s so easy to forget exactly why they’re out there at moments like these. 

Porkchop starts a fire that Emma and her friends huddle by while watching their Pokémon. Emil and Tango, Shelby’s Oricorio, sit in the tree overhead, chatting with each other in their birdy way. May and Tenor stay close to the warmth of the fire, while Ninja takes to rolling around like a dog Pokémon. Rosemary prances by gleefully and Twigbranch, Alyssa’s Grotle, attempts to mimic her stride while Cherry, Winnie’s Espurr, is riding on his back, only to remember how big and clumsy he is, though that does little to stop him from trying even harder. Nugget chases after Pretty, and Quake and Muscle, Nick’s Krokorok and Hawlucha, flex at each other in the light snowfall. Ivory and Dance, Kaylee’s Sneasel, thrive in the cold. Diamond, Kaylee’s Granbull, Kindness, Alyssa’s Kirlia, Vamp, and Lady are locked in a heated snowball fight. Cuddles joins in at one point and nearly knocks Kindness’ head off due to the size of the snowball she throws at him. Carnelian stands away, watching mutely. And then, there’s Mewtwo, hopping around with Flower and Walk. When Riley, Nick’s Crobat, flies past her, she follows, taking off through the treetops and into the night sky.

She looks absolutely blissful.

Emma hopes to keep it that way.

Chapter Text

The Guardian

The tunnel to Celestic City is blocked.

Emma blinks, rubs her eyes, and then blinks again.

Nope. Still blocked.

The cave entrance that would usually lead out to Celestic City is now completely caved in. Conkledurrs and Machamps work to clear the rubble, commanded by men in bright orange vests and hard hats. The tail of an Ampharos lights the cavern and a Watchog that reminds Emma of Principal Hawkins’ stands guard at the front of the construction site. When it sees Emma and her friends coming, it perks up and barks something at them. The men are alerted and one walks over, wiping sweat from his brow.

  “Can I help you?” he says.

  “What happened?” Alyssa asks, gazing up at the mound of stones barricading their way home. 

  “Cave in,” the man answers. “It happened a few nights ago when a pretty rough storm blew in. We’ve been trying to clear it, but it’s still gonna be a few days before anyone can pass through. Where are you trying to go?”

  “Solaceon Town.”

  “Then I suggest you go through Eterna City. The tunnel isn’t blocked there and you can cut through the Cycling Road or Eterna Forest to get home.”

Alyssa nods. “Alright. Thank you. Good luck with all of…that.”

The man laughs. “Thank you. Take care!”

  “You too!” 

  “Great,” Nick mutters as they begin walking in the direction of the Eterna City tunnel. “Now we have to be away from home even longer.”

It isn’t like your quest is over, Porygon says.

  “I know,” Nick says. “But I rather create a game plan in the comfort of my own town than some random city. And where are we going to stay? That’s the other thing.”

Emma smiles. “I think I have an idea.”

——-

Eterna City is a city of ancient roads and fading history. The houses look like they’re stuck one hundred years in the wrong century and even the cobblestone streets are weathered down, cracked and chipping in several spots. Despite that, there’s an aura of serenity around the civilization, like nothing bad can happen inside of it. Perhaps the bronze statue of a legendary Pokémon mounted on a small hill is what protects Eterna from anything that may cause it harm.

Emma takes her friends to a condo building, which may have been the newest thing in all of Eterna. They go up to the sixth floor, and by then her friends are incredibly confused. She just smiles at them innocently while knocking on the door of room 607.

There’s a crash from inside the apartment, shortly followed by a few Pokémon cries and stifled hisses. 

  “Oh, golly-- one moment!” a male voice yells to them, half-muffled by the door. “No, Gag, I’m fine. No, I’m fine! Don’t put me in your mouth!! Off! Uhh-- one more second!”

Emma’s friends look at her worriedly. Emma just continues to smile, trying to bite back a laugh because she’s used to this kind of stuff.

  “Good. Thank you. I just took a bath. I don’t need to get dirty when we have guests over. Whoever they may be. Hello!”

The door is pulled open abruptly, revealing a tall, middle-aged man standing there. He’s on the bigger side, and almost looks burly, but he has the soft, friendly face of an Eevee and a painfully sincere smile on his lips. A Pachirisu with a pink bow on her bushy tail is sitting on his shoulder and a Slowking hovers just behind him, looking curious. After just a split second of examination, all three of them light up.

  “Emma!” the man exclaims.

  “Hey, Tren-- ack!!” Emma can barely get the full greeting out before she’s being crushed in the man’s arms, and then the Slowking’s arms when it joins the hug, too. She feels the soft fur of the Pachirisu brush against her skin as she nuzzles into her neck.

  “I didn’t know you were visiting!” Trent says after finally releasing her. He has a hug as strong as a Mawile using Vice Grip. “It’s so good to see you again!”

  “It’s good to see you, too,” Emma smiles up at him. “Sorry for showing up unannounced. Me and my friends were heading back to Solaceon from Snowpoint, but the cave was blocked off. We have to go through Eterna City, so I thought we’d swing by.”

  “A very wise decision,” Trent nods. “I’m great company.” He then turns his Solar Beam smile on Emma’s friends. “Hi! I’m Trent! Who are you?”

Emma realizes he’s looking at Mewtwo, and his reaction doesn’t really surprise her anymore. Everywhere they go, people stare at Mewtwo, though Emma can’t really blame them given how new and odd she is. Back in the caves, she witnessed a man’s foot almost get smashed when one of the Conkledurrs got distracted by the strange Pokémon and nearly dropped a heavy stone on one of the construction workers. Mewtwo doesn’t seem to mind the looks she gets, but also gives off the indication that it makes her slightly uncomfortable. 

  “This is Mewtwo,” Emma says, gesturing for the Pokémon. “She’s a friend.”

Hello, Mewtwo raises one of her paw-padded hands to wave.

  “It can talk?!” Trent yelps.

  “She, actually,” Emma says. “She likes to use she/her pronouns.”

  “Oh, my apologies,” Trent amends to Mewtwo.

It’s alright, Mewtwo says.

  “But she can TALK?!” Trent exclaims. “Wait-- is that telepathy? You have a Pokémon that knows telepathy?!”

  “Yeah, I have a lot to catch you up on,” Emma laughs slightly. “Can we come in?”

  “Of course!” Trent steps aside, letting them enter his condo.

The apartment is filled to the brim with antiques and art. Various geared axles from larger defunct automated artifacts that look as though they had been created by the Regi trio function as plant holders for indoor flowers and succulents, and some compelling-looking sleek metal cylinders etched with symbols that look very powerful now serve as candles, flickering soft yellow-orange light throughout the space. A whole ancient potion set, composed of vials, beakers, and burners that lay out across the mahogany dinner table; a Pokémon egg, which is swaddled in some sweaters sat on a chair; a torc of with the heads of the sea guardian duo, Manaphy and Phione, carved on each bulb is surrounded by notebook paper and pens; an assortment of various photographs on the kitchen counter; and, of course, several shined bookshelves packed full of hefty tomes of history. Trent’s knowledge and intelligence is clear in his home, even if it’s a little harder to see in his appearance and personality.

  “Wow,” Shelby says, gazing around the condo. “You have a lot of, uh…things.”

Trent laughs. “I do, don’t I? Well, allow me to introduce you to the gang.” He begins pointing out the Pokémon in his house. “The Frosmoth is Lui, the Marshtomp is Swampy, the Victreebel is Gag, the Pachirisu is Bread, the Slowking is Juilliard, and the Malamar is Sneezebreeze.”

Kevin opens his mouth.

  “It’s a long story.”

Kevin closes his mouth.

  “And who are all of you?”

Emma introduces her friends and their partners one by one, then Porygon and Mewtwo.

  “How do you have all this stuff?” Winnie asks. She looks enthralled by all of the artifacts. 

  “I’m a-- well, I’m a photographer nowadays,” Trent answers. “But before that I was an adventurer, you could say. Emma’s uncle and I were actually partners and scoured ruin after ruin, cave after cave together. Emma sometimes came with us, you know. Actually…” 

He skitters off into what’s presumably his bedroom, returning shortly with a photo album.

  “Oh Arceus,” Emma mutters.

Trent opens the photo album. “Here’s us in the remains of the Dragonspiral Tower in Unova, at Poni Canyon in Alola, Mount Silver in Johto… Oh, here!” He shows them all a certain page. “This is one of the times Emma was with us! Isn’t she just adorable? We were in the Trackless Forest out in Hoenn.”

The photo depicted Trent and Barry standing in a verdant grove, dapples of golden sunlight leaking in from the dense treetops. Sure enough, Emma is there in a baby carrier strapped to Barry’s back, probably two or three, with a Pikachu-themed pacifier in her mouth and wearing a Pikachu onesie. Present time Emma’s face goes hot, while her friends coo and snicker all around her.

  “Aww!” Shelby clucks. “Emma, you’re such a cute baby!”

  “Shut up,” Emma growls, the tip of her ears burning red. She then whips her head around to Nick, who is chortling like a Gengar. “You will say nothing of this.”

Porygon hovers over Emma’s shoulder to look at the photo. Was this before or after your parents disowned you?

Nick, Kevin, Kaylee, and Shelby all burst into shrieks of laughter at that, while Winnie at least attempts to hold herself back and Alyssa just gapes in shock. Even Trent can’t keep back a snort, though he instantly slaps a hand back over his mouth.

  “Oh-- oh my ARCEUS!” Nick cackles. “You-- you just got told by a Pokémon!”

Porygon looks at him. I would say the same about you and your parents’ divorce if it were your family photos I was looking at. Shall I prove it to you? Do you have any pictures on you?

Nick stops laughing.

  “Uhh, Porygon,” Alyssa gives their ‘leg’ a light pat. “We don’t say stuff like that around people.”

Ah, I see, Porygon says. You must excuse me. I am made entirely from code and data. I do not feel the exact same emotions as you do.

  “I’ll give you lessons in basic empathy,” Alyssa smiles at it.

  “But, uhh, no, Porygon,” Emma says. “This was taken before…that .”

I see. So your child self has no idea what is coming.

More laughter, and this time Emma can’t help but join in. 

  “Yeah, yeah,” Emma says. “I suppose so.”

  “You have very interesting friends with you, Emma,” Trent says, closing the photo album. “Care to explain?”

  “Sure. But you may want to sit down for all of this.”

Trent sits down on the couch next to his Marshtomp, so Emma begins telling him everything that has happened so far, from the lab in Snowpoint to the battle competition back in Solaceon, all the way to the dreams they’re having, each of them describing their own nightmares in great detail. And Trent listens to everything, nodding and making small comments as they go along until finally, finally they finish.

He blows out a breath. “Well, that is…a lot.”

Emma grimaces. “Yeah.”

  “I’ve always been fascinated by the Legends,” Trent says. “Finding any signs of them was always one of my goals. So I am so invested in this.”

I would hope so, Porygon says. The entire existence of your world is on the line.

  “What are you guys gonna do?” Trent asks.

  “We’re still figuring that part out,” Emma answers.

  “Well, I think people should know about this,” Trent says. “Porygon is right: the world is being put at risk. If people are aware, maybe they can help things change. And I know exactly where you can share the story.”

  “Where?”

  “Jubilife City, of course! Jubilife TV is broadcasted there! Go there and tell Dee Dee Allen that Trent Oliver sent you. She’ll listen.”

Emma exchanges looks with her friends. They all seem onboard.

  “Do we have your blessing to do this?” Nick asks Porygon sarcastically.

More of a blessing than Kaylee does from your divorced father, Porygon replies breezily. Yes, you can do this. Do what you will.

Over the sound of cackles, Trent smiles. “Great! Oh, you can stay here with me for the night! I don’t know if there’s enough beds, but we’ll make do. Make yourself at home!”

———

  “So babe, I know that we’re staying with Trent but we could always sneak away to a hotel room after dinner.” 

  “Emma, control your bottom urges! We will sex it up without worrying our friends about where we went.”

  “Aww! You’re no fun!” Emma pouts at her girlfriend with her signature Lillipup-eyes. “You wanted to when you were hypothermic…”

  “Well, I’m not hypothermic anymore,” Alyssa flashes her a teasing grin.

  “For now.”

  “Is that a threat?”

  “An invitation, actually.”

The Order

Nick likes being with Kaylee. Kaylee reminds Nick that he is not broken, despite his family falling apart. One thing that Nick loves about Kaylee is that they bring out each other’s adventurous side.

That’s why when Kaylee drags him to Eterna City’s secret underground gaming tournament, he was all in.

  “So how do you know about this place?” Nick asks his excited girlfriend.

  “Well when I help my parents out at their casino in Veilstone, customers largely ignore me because I look young. That allows me to eavesdrop on all of their drunk conversations. Word on the street is that The Bin is one of the best places to gamble in all of Sinnoh.” 

Nick and Kaylee pause by the entrance. On the outside it just looks like an ordinary dumpster. Kaylee drops $20 into a slit in the side of the dumpster and says “The Garbodor is ready for pickup”. Once she says that, the front of the dumpster opens up like a set of doors revealing a man and his Joltik. Kaylee and Nick are hurried down the stairs as the doors to the dumpster close.

  “Holy Helix!” Nick gaps as he takes in the sight. This place is more than he could have ever imagined. In the northwest corner there appears to be rows and rows of slot machines. In the northeast corner there are card tables, people playing poker and any other card game imaginable. In the southeast corner there are multiple battlefields for people to participate in and bet on Pokemon battles. The last corner appears to be the food court with many different food options available.

As Nick is just frozen taking everything in, Kaylee excitedly grabs his arm. “The customers back home were right. This does look like one of the best places to gamble in all of Sinnoh! Let’s hit the poker table first! I have the feeling that tonight will be one lucky night.”

Nick and Kaylee play poker for a while. Or as Nick should play, Kaylee was a whiz at poker while he watched. Nick shined at the slot machines. Eventually they got hungry and picked up some food. They got slices of extra-cheesy pizza and some Piplupsi soda which they brought with them to the final corner to watch the main event.

They grab seats in one of the higherup stands in the main stadium. There are smaller battlefields for smaller-scale battles, but for this event they brought in 2 elite trainers from Kalos, so it will be a full 6-on-6.

Okay, Pokefans! It’s time for our final battle of the night! Lizzie vs Julie! They are from Kalos, the region known for Mega Evolution, so you know this will be a fun one! I’m your announcer, James Snipes, so let’s get this battle on the way!

The referee signals both trainers to send out their first Pokemon. Lizzie is starting with a Mr. Mime, while Julie is starting with a Gligar. Nick notes that Gligar seems like an interesting choice, until he realizes that the Gligar is probably holding an eviolite. In professional battles like this, Pokemon are allowed to hold certain items that can help them out and make battles more interesting. In the case of this battle, because Gligar can still evolve, the eviolite will boost its defensive stats. 

Lizzie yells to her Mr Mime, “Mason, use Dazzling Gleam!”

Mr. Mime cries out “Mime!” before focusing on fairy-powered energy that he shoots out in all directions to hit Gligar.

Julie has a different strategy in mind. “Gligar! Set up Stealth Rocks!”

Pointed rocks scatter in the ground and air around Mr. Mime’s side of the stadium.

The battle continues on with both sides showing their strategy. Mr. Mime uses Dazzling Gleam again while Gligar uses the move Toxic to slowly damage the opponent.

Julie was satisfied with Gligar’s performance, so she made a risky move. “Gligar! Return! Go, Sandslash!”

  “Use another Dazzling Gleam!” Sandslash barely has time to register the battlefield before getting hit hard by the fairy attack. Sandslash barely holds on from a second Dazzling Gleam before recovering enough to use the move Knock Off to remove Mr. Mime’s focus sash. Unfortunately for Julie, Sandslash was holding a life orb which took him down with that move.

Despite being the first to lose a Pokemon, Julie isn’t phased. “Hey Lizzie! You do know that the move Toxic increases in damage each turn. Mr. Mime will soon be Mr. Gone! Go Golduck and use Calm Mind!”

Golduck uses a Calm Mind attack to increase her special attack and special defense stats. Mr. Mime gets out one more Dazzling Gleam before collapsing from the poison.

Lizzie pauses for a moment to think about which Pokemon she wants to use next. She grins as she makes the decision. “Go Rotom and use Thunderbolt!”

  “Ro-Ro-TOMMMM!” Rotom flies out of the ball and immediately gets hurt by the stealth rocks that Gligar laid earlier. However, Rotom acts unphased as he charges himself up with electricity and blasts it at the blue duck.

Despite it being a super-effective hit, Golduck still manages to hold on long enough to shoot out a blazing hot Scald attack that is enough to defeat Rotom.

Lizzie sends out Aurorus next.

Julie knows that Golduck only has enough strength left for one more attack. “Golduck, use Scald!” 

  “Duck!” Golduck shouts before releasing one final attack.

Lizzie thinks that this will be easy. “Aurorus, use Freeze-Dry!” The dry, icy cold freezes any water in the air taking down the water type.

Julie sends out Gligar again. “Gligar, use Earthquake!” 

Nick can feel it in his seat as the entire stadium shakes from the powerful ground attack. He watches as the giant Aurorus collapses to the ground, fainted.

Lizzie grabs her next Pokeball. “You think that one ice type was enough? Go! Mamoswine!”

The mammoth of a beast with dirt-brown hair and icy frozen tusks enters the battlefield.

Julie can tell that Gligar is feeling weak, so she has him use the move Roost to restore his health. An added benefit of the move is that it temporarily removes the flying type from Gligar, so being pure ground instead of ground-flying will make the next ice-type move be only 2 times super effective, as opposed to the 4 times super effectiveness that it would normally have.

  “Mamoswine, use Icicle Crash!” Mamoswine’s body freezes into a giant block of ice that charges into Gligar. Because of the type removal from Roost, Gligar barely hangs on long enough to use Toxic to poison Mamoswine before fainting to another Icicle Crash.

Julie smirks. “This battle is really heating up. How about I send out my Ludicolo to cool things down?” 

  “Mamoswine, use Stealth Rocks!” 

Both sides of the field now have pointed rocks placed all around. Unless someone uses the move Rapid Spin or Defog, all remaining Pokemon to enter the battle will be hurt by Stealth Rocks! Nobody is safe! 

  “Ludicolo, use Giga Drain!” Ludicolo uses green energy to suck out the remainder of Mamoswine’s health.

Lizzie is down to her final two Pokemon. Lizzie looks between her two remaining Pokeballs and sends one out, while also pulling a special charm from her pocket.

  “Go, Scizor! Mega Evolve!”

Audience, this really is a special treat. Here in Sinnoh Mega Evolutions are extraordinarily rare, but in Kalos where these two trainers are from they are a common part of their culture. This really is a moment you do not want to miss!

Lizzie’s charm resonates with the charm that Scizor is holding. Trainer and Pokemon appear to be in complete sync. A glowing crystal of light encases both trainer and Pokemon. The light crystals break revealing Scizor in a new form that Nick has never seen before. Light sparkles everywhere. To Nick, that was the most beautiful sight he has ever seen.

Julie watches the Mega Evolution and the second it is done she calls out, “Ludicolo, use Scald!”

  “Mega Scizor, use Bug Bite!” Scizor runs up to Ludicolo and repeatedly bites the grass type with her claws, causing Ludicolo to faint.

Julie is now down to her final two Pokemon, so she sends out Salamence. Salamence immediately uses her intimidate ability, lowering Scizor’s attack stat. 

This time Julie pulls out her charm, causing Salamence to Mega Evolve. Just like last time, both trainer and Pokemon are encased in beautiful light crystals before breaking out to reveal the new form.

Two Mega Evolutions in one battle! Both Mega Evolutions pitted head to head against each other! Anyone who bet on that should go collect their winnings as soon as the battle ends. With mega forms on both sides, things are really heating up!

  “Mega Salamence, use Double-Edge!” The giant flying dragon with crescent wings flies down hard and fast into the Mega Scizor, knocking Scizor out. Scizor is encased by a crystal of light again before returning to her regular form.

Lizzie calls out to her opponent. “I may be down to my final Pokemon, but I’m not worried. Go! Rhyperior!” The stone giant comes onto the battlefield.

  “Salamence, use Draco Meteor!”

  “Rhyperior, use Stone Edge!”

Dragon energy hits Rhyperior first, but Rhyperior holds on long enough to knock out the Mega Salamence. Salamence is encased by energy before returning to her regular form.

Both teams are down to their very last Pokemon! This is a really close battle! Anyone can win at this point!

As her final Pokemon, Julie sends out Tangrowth. Before Rhyperior can even react, Tangrowth uses Giga Drain. The 4 times super effective move is too much for the already weakened rock type, causing Rhyperior to faint, ending the battle.

And there you have it, folks! Trainer Julie beat Trainer Lizzie! Fans, make sure you stop by the betting booth to check your tickets and collect any winnings if you bet on this match! I’m James Snipes, and I’m signing off on this night of Pokemon Battles at: THE BIN!!!!

Nick and Kaylee exit the stadium after watching that epic battle. Nick wraps his arm around Kaylee’s shoulder as they walk out, with Nick kissing the top of Kaylee’s head as they are smiling and laughing on their way out.

The Mythos

Kevin is a simple man. He likes Pokemon, he likes his friends, he likes food, he likes swimming, and he really likes Shelby.

In freshman year, Kevin was really struggling in his Algebra class. It wasn’t until Shelby swooped in that he improved. Through their tutoring sessions, they started flirting and flirting until Kevin finally got the nerve to ask the girl out. On their first date together, he invited Shelby over to his house to bake cookies together. From the moment that they got flour all over the kitchen resulting in them kissing, Kevin knew that they would be together for a really long time!

So Kevin wanted to make this night extra special. He got permission from Trent to use his kitchen, so Kevin and Shelby will be making pizza together! The only catch is that they have to make an extra pizza for Trent and they have to clean the kitchen afterwards, but Kevin thinks that those are fair trade offs.

He is snuggling on the couch next to Shelby, watching some musical about kids going to prom, when the timer goes off signaling that the dough is done rising and they can finally assemble the pizzas.

  “Okay, so first we have to get Trent’s pizza out of the way before we can make our own.” Shelby says. “He says he likes peppers, onions, and extra cheese on his.”

Kevin plops one third of the dough down on the table. He turns to Shelby and says, “Hey, watch this.” Kevin begins tossing the dough in the air. He actually does some tricks with it, spinning the dough high and low, tossing it from hand to hand. He grabs a Pokeball and sends out Porkchop the Emboar, and has his companion lightly use the move flamethrower to heat up the crust. When he’s done, he places the partially baked crust on the table, perfectly ready to add toppings to.

Shelby stares at him impressed. “Wow, you really improved from the last time we cooked together. You burned popcorn on our last movie night.” Shelby and Kevin lean in to kiss each other.

When they separate, Kevin smiles. “You are always so great to me that I wanted to impress you. I have been practicing in secret for over a year, that’s why we haven’t cooked together in a while. I was going to wait until our anniversary to show you, but with all of this craziness going on, I didn’t want to wait to make you smile.”

Shelby tackles Kevin to the ground with a big hug! “If I wasn’t so hungry right now, I would say forget the pizzas. But I’ll save you for dessert!”

Shelby winks at her boyfriend as they go back to making the pizzas. Kevin thinks that this is the best date ever and he will DEFINITELY cook for Shelby again in the future. 

The Soul

  “So, where do you guys want to… Oh, you’re leav… Okay, bye!”

Winnie is left in front of Trent’s apartment, awkwardly watching her friends walk away in their respective couple duos. They don’t even spare her a wave or any parting words. She would have been happy with just a glance! But she knows she has to remember that their lovers are more important to them, and she’s just the constant third wheel.

Why does she have to be acearo again? Oh yeah! She’s terrified of people and the things they may do to her if she’s pinned in a committed relationship, she’s freaked out by sex, and she desires a family bond more than anything in the entire world. That’s it!

  “Wonder what that’s like,” Winnie says as her friends disappear from sight. “Having a libido.”

I would not know, Porygon says, hovering over her shoulder.

What is a ‘libido’? Mewtwo asks curiously.

  “It’s like a, uhh-- you know what? Don’t worry about it,” Winnie smiles up at Mewtwo, who blinks back at her. “Looks like we’re on our own. You guys wanna hang with me?”

Both Mewtwo and Porygon agree, so they head out of the condominium and back into Eterna City. They wander aimlessly for a while, getting stares from several different people thanks to Mewtwo’s presence, but they ignore them. 

Where are we going? Mewtwo asks as they approach a colorful building with scissors on the storefront.

  “The groomer,” Winnie answers. “For Flower. I’ve been needing to get her claws trimmed, so I feel like this is the best time to do that. Is that okay?”

Once again, Mewtwo and Porygon agree. Winnie isn’t used to anyone being so cooperative with her plans.

The inside of the groomer shop is bright and smells strongly of different sprays, whether they be for fur, scales, or feathers. The blonde woman at the front counter is reading a magazine with her very stylish-looking Gumshoos when Winnie walks in. 

  “What can I get-- ah--” The worker’s words die on her lips when she looks up and sees what exactly is standing in her shop. She blinks several times, trying to remember how to speak as she drinks in Mewtwo’s appearance. 

  “Ma’am?” Winnie calls out.

The woman shakes her head, pulling herself back to awareness. She looks down at Winnie. “Sorry. Your strange Pokémon seems to have dazzled me.” She laughs slightly. Her Gumshoos is still enthralled. “If I may… what is it exactly?”

  “She’s Mewtwo,” Winnie says.

Mewtwo, knowing when to keep her telepathy to herself, raises a hand and waves. The woman and her Gumshoos wave back, completely captivated.

  “Mewtwo,” the woman murmurs. “How interesting.” She shakes her head again. “But onto business! I apologize again. What can I do for you?”

Winnie sets up an appointment for Flower. The Gumshoos is the one to lead her to one of the back rooms to wait. 

Everyone seems very enchanted by your presence, Mewtwo, Porygon says to Mewtwo.

Mewtwo rubs her arms, a trait she had picked up from Winnie when she got uncomfortable. It’s weirdish. I hope they do not take me as a threat.

I don’t think so, Porygon assures her. Humans are just enthralled by things they cannot understand or have never seen before. If anything, they see you as an idol.

An idol? Mewtwo tilts her head.

You are part of Mew, Porygon says. Mew is a very big part of human culture, as it was one of the seven Legends. Mew created all Pokémon. They pause, looking over Mewtwo. Well. Not all. 

So they do not fear me, but they… 

Revere you.

From out in the hallway, Winnie can hear the clanking of tools. Boots clop against the tile floor, and then someone is at the front of their room, pulling the door open. They look at Flower on the metal examination table, and Winnie waits the half-beat it takes for them to realize that she is also in the room.

  “Arceus, fuck!” The person jumps back. The Scizor accompanying them flinches slightly, too. They set a hand over their heart. “What, are you just hiding in here for fun? What the hell?”

Flower is dancing a bit, claws clicking against the metal tabletop, attention snagged. She slings her head up, out of reach, tail flagging, white of her eyes showing.

Winnie looks at the person. Wiry hair. Nailbeds packed full of grit. Shrewd eyes. White apron. 

  “You’re the groomer.”

  “Yes.” They glare pointedly at Winnie. “Also I have a name. Which is Salix. You could call me that.”

  “Salix,” Winnie corrects herself. “I’m Winnie. This is Flower.”

  “Oh,” Salix says. “Oh.” They squint at Flower. “It’s an Absol.”

Oh, here they go.

  “Yes, mx,” Winnie says, trying to keep her rising irritation at bay. “She is.”

  “You have an Absol? Like, you actually caught one? The Disaster Pokémon?”

  “Yes, mx.” Winnie keeps her level tone. 

  “And you want me to work on it?”

  “Yes, mx.”

  “Is this some kind of joke?”

  “No, mx.”

Salix turns their eyes on Mewtwo. “Okay, tell me, girl,” they say. “What is that?”

Winnie blinks at them. “A Pokémon.”

  “Yes, I can see that. I have eyes. But why does it look like that? And why do you of all people have it?”

  “She came from my home,” Winnie says, thinking it’s a believable enough explanation. “She’s my friend.”

Salix looks suspicious.

  “Her name is Mewtwo.”

  “I did not ask.”

They regard each other in silence. A Pokémon from another room whickers.

  “You want me to do your Absol’s feet or not?”

  “Yes, mx. Please.”

Once Flower is settled, Salix dusts their hands across their apron and reaches for a foot. Flower bristles the white fur around her neck, shifts away. Winnie goes with her, hand on her cheek. She looks around her shoulders at Salix.

  “You don’t want to see her move first?”

Salix looks up at her through slanted eyes. “I’ve seen several Pokémon move before.”

  “But you haven’t seen her move.”

  “I haven’t--” Salix glares. “Look. Girl. I’m supposed to get through fifteen other Pokémon today, what do you want from me?”

Common decency. It shouldn’t be too much to ask for. 

  “Just watch her. Please?”

Salix heaves a sigh and stands up straight. Their glare doesn’t lessen. Winnie ignores it. 

She walks Flower around the space. Salix’s leer doesn’t shift. Their hands are on their hips. They don’t look impressed.

Winnie lets Flower jump back onto the table. She points to one of her feet. 

  “Can you bring the toe back?”

Salix stares at her. “You want me to change the angle of its foot?”

  “Yes, mx.”

  “You want me to fuck with its feet?”

  “You’re not screwing with them,” Winnie leaves out their needless profanity in her echo. “You’re helping them.”

  “You’re fucking nuts.” 

Winnie purses her lips. There are Pokémon people and then there are people people. This person continues to prove that the latter is awful.

  “She’s got a big stride. Less toe, less chance of her nicking herself. And less likely to trip.”

  “Its feet,” Salix is snarling, “are fine.”

  “You asked what I wanted you to do,” Winnie says. “I’m telling you how I want her feet done.”

Salix’s face is dark. “And I’m telling you it’s fucking stupid to mess with something that’s working.”

Winnie counts to ten in her head.

  “Less toe, better balance. Better balance, less likely to trip. She’s my Pokémon and that’s how I want her done. Please.”

  “You don’t know anything. You’re just a little girl.”

  “Please, mx. I don’t want to fight. Can you please just do her feet?”

  “Why should I listen to you?” Salix looms over her. They open their mouth, presumably to spit more acid in Winnie’s face, but is stopped by the low growl of Mewtwo. Turning, they both see the Pokémon’s eyes glowing a threatening purple, paws clenched and most likely preparing an attack. The air grows thick with psychic energy.

Do as you are told, Mewtwo snarls lowly. Or pay the consequences of your cruelty.

Salix’s eyes widen when Mewtwo’s voice worms into their brain like burrowing Durants. They’re completely dumbfounded at first, then growl softly at how helpless they are against such a powerful Pokémon. Finally, they bend down and reach for a foot without another word. Flower’s fur bristles. She doesn’t let her foot rise when Salix tugs on it, so Salix smacks her in the shoulder. Flower bites the air, sharp teeth clacking. 

  “Don’t hit her,” Winnie says.

Don’t hit her, Mewtwo echoes, and the air grows thick again, almost crackling. 

Salix mutters a string of colorful swears, forced to obey by the threat of a potential attack. They continue their work, with their Scizor trimming up some of Flower’s fur at the same time. By the time they are done, they’re flushed, their hairline damp. They stand up straight.

  “You’re finished,” they told the Absol. Then, they look at Winnie. “And you are a fucking bitch.” They don’t even address Mewtwo.

  “Thank you for the work,” Winnie says, dipping her head politely, ignoring their insult.

Angered by her lack of reaction, Salix stalks off with their Scizor to work on the other Pokémon they have on their client list. 

Are you alright? Mewtwo asks. 

  “Yeah,” Winnie answers. “Thanks.”

Mewtwo nods. They were rude. I don’t understand why.

Sometimes humans are just like that, Porygon says. They are cruel for the sake of being cruel.

  “I can confirm that,” Winnie says. “Come on, let’s get going.”

Outside, Winnie spots Emma and Alyssa down the street, locked in conversation and laughing. She waves. They don’t even spare her a glance.

Eventually, Winnie, Mewtwo, and Porygon end up on the hill where the statue of a legendary Pokémon stands, watching over the community. Winnie takes a moment to admire it.

What is it? Mewtwo asks her.

  “A legendary Pokémon,” Winnie tells her. “I think it’s supposed to be a cross between Dialga and Palkia.” The statue shares similarities in both of the creation deities, bearing the chest plate and fin-like tail base of Dialga, but the shoulder pads and wings of Palkia.

Dalkia I believe is what it’s called, Porygon says.

Dialga and Palkia? Mewtwo tilts her head.

  “Oh, uh,” Winnie grasps for an explanation. “They’re two legendary Pokémon that were said to have helped shape the universe. Palkia created space and Dialga made time. Though, it was the Legends that created the world we live in. My friends and I are hoping to get their help to stop…whatever is going on.”

The destruction?

  “Yeah.”

I see. Mewtwo then points to the plaques on either side of the statue. What do those say? I cannot read.

  “It outlines the creation myth of Dialga and Palkia,” Winnie says. “Here, let me…” She begins to read out loud: “The creation of Dialga, the giver of time… In laughter, there is tears… And, likewise it is with time. The same time flows on. For it is the blessing of Dialga. And then the second one: The birth of Palkia, the creator of parallel dimensions… Alive, yet not alive… Everything drifts in space… To arrive in the same universe. It is the blessing of Palkia. I think there was one more, but it looks like it’s been ripped off.”

Do you think that they will help you? Mewtwo asks. 

  “I can only hope,” Winnie answers.

The three of them spend a moment of silence admiring the statue for a little longer. Winnie tucks her hands into her pockets and digs something out.

  “Oh,” she says. “You guys wanna play Go Phione?” She holds up the deck of cards.

What is that?

  “It’s a card game,” Winnie says, then begins rattling off the instructions while sitting down on the grass. Mewtwo and Porygon mimic her, though Porygon hovers a little off of the ground. 

  “It’ll be fun,” Winnie adds with a small smile.

I will play.

I would also like to participate.

Winnie brightens. Who needs human friends when she has these two cool telepathic Pokémon?

That’s how it’s always been, though, hasn’t it? She’s always bonded better with Pokémon rather than people. Most of her childhood up in Snowpoint was characterized by her playing with Snovers and Smoochums and Swinubs instead of kids her age. She didn’t go over to other people’s houses, she went to Pokémon dens. That’s all she’s ever known, really. 

Are you alright? Porygon asks at one point, taking Winnie by surprise. She looks up from her deck to see the Pokémon staring at her, using Psychic to hold their own cards.

  “Yeah,” she answers. “Why do you ask?”

You’ve just seemed rather discomforted ever since your parents took you aside, Porygon says.

Winnie instinctively touches her arm. She was still very sore; it hurts to raise her arms over her head to simply change her shirt. 

Do they know? Porygon presses further.

Winnie closes her eyes, remembering the sting of tears against her cheeks while Drapion claws crunched around her arms. Torment in her brain while a Dusknoir crept its way inside, her mother right behind it, tutting, “What a bad girl you’ve been, Winona…” 

  “No,” she finally says. “I don’t want them to.”

The memories are still too much for even her to fully comprehend; she doesn’t want to know how her friends will react when she tells them. If she tells them. 

She looks away. At the bottom of the hill, two children are having a battle between their Whismur and Shroomish. The Shroomish seems to be winning. 

She turns her head forward again. “Mewtwo, do you have any Eevees?”

The Guardian

That night, back in Trent’s apartment, Emma is trying to breathe her fears away on the balcony, thinking that the fresh air would do her some good. In the distance, even through the thick shroud of darkness, she can see Eterna Forest looming. Even further than that are the soft blinks of Valley Windworks and the lights from Jubilife City. 

When she closes her eyes, she can’t help but imagine all of them being destroyed.

She had another dream. This time, the Snowpoint Mountains cracked and rained down on Sinnoh, crushing them all, burying them alive. There was so much dust in the air that the sun was blotted out, so even those who managed to survive the landslide had no form of heat or light. The world went dark; the void didn’t even need to pour in.

She doesn’t want that. She really doesn’t want that.

  “Emma?”

There’s a voice from behind. Turning, Emma sees Trent standing there in the sliding glass doorway, Bread perched on his shoulder.

  “Hey,” Emma smiles at him. 

  “What are you doing up?” 

  “Just thinking.”

Trent walks over, closing the door behind him, and stands next to her. He gazes out at the view. “Pretty, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah,” Emma nods. “My stupid brain kinda ruined it for me, though.” She laughs weakly.

Trent looks down at her. “What do you mean?”

Emma sighs, rubbing a sluggish hand over her face. “I keep having these nightmares. Awful nightmares. And they always have Sinnoh being destroyed and everyone dying while I just stand there and watch.”

Trent frowns. “Yes, I can see how that would be rather distressing.”

Emma laughs slightly. “Just a little though.”

  “You know, I always knew you were special ever since the day you were born,” Trent says. “And I’m not just saying that because it’s a thing everyone says about kids they’re close to. I mean it. There was just something about you that I couldn’t put my finger on. Now I know what it is.” He smiles down at her. “If anyone can do this--whatever this is--I know you’d be it.”

Emma smiles back at him. “Thanks, Trent.”

She wishes she can believe him. 

Chapter Text

The Guardian

  “Well, this is where I leave you.”

The entrance to Eterna Forest looms before them. The grey backlight of an oncoming storm only makes the sight even more sinister, and Emma almost regrets not going through the Cycling Road to get to Jubilife City. Though, after the nightmare she had last night, she doesn’t think anything can get any scarier than the things she’s already seen. 

Trent smiles at all of them. “It’s been a pleasure having you all over.”

  “Thank you for letting us stay,” Alyssa says.

  “Oh, anytime!” Trent brightens. “You should head on your way before it starts pouring. Remember: Dee Dee Allen in Jubilife City. Tell her Trent Oliver sent you. She’ll know.”

  “Got it,” Emma nods. “Thanks, Trent. Bye!”

  “Goodbye, kids!”

With a final parting wave, Emma and her friends turn forward and venture into the depths of Eterna Forest.

The Soul

They don’t walk fast enough.

They are caught in the storm.

Even with the canopy of trees overhead, the group isn’t safe from the torrential rainfall that Kyogre seems happy to drop down on them. They get soaked two times over in the span of just an hour, and Vamp and Lady have to be returned to their Pokéballs to keep from being harmed by all the wetness. The dirt path they travel down becomes reduced to a stew of mud and washed up weeds, staining their shoes and soaking into their socks, setting into little icy pools beneath their toes. Every step squelches and every movement of the legs is heavy and sluggish from the weight of muck around their ankles. The only one who looks okay with the torrent is Ninja, who is more than happy to bound through puddles and roll around in the dampness like he was a puppy Pokémon, while the rest of their partners are soaked and miserable with their heavy fur.

  “Arceus, it’s the blizzard all over again,” Nick grumbles at one point. They’re stopped for a moment, trying to find refuge beneath a tall oak tree as they attempt to figure out which way to go. 

  “At least it’s not as cold,” Shelby points out.

That much is true. The rain is warm for the most part, but the chill of fall is starting to creep in and if it gets any colder, then hypothermia could easily set in when they’re all wet. Even the clothes in their bags are soaked, leaving them nothing dry to change into. 

  “True,” Nick says. He watches Ninja slide through a slick of mud for a moment; his partner is slimed up to the shoulder sheathes in muck, making him look like some kind of rare brown Samurott. 

I think it feels amazing, Mewtwo says, lifting her head to the rainfall and letting her eyes drift shut. Rivulets of water run down over her slick skin and the purple fur on her long tail is damp and dripping. Like Ninja, she doesn’t seem to mind getting so wet.

  “Trust me, it won’t always be that way,” Nick says.

  “Don’t ruin this for her,” Emma says.

  “I’m just saying.”

  “We should probably get moving,” Alyssa says. “Before it gets any worse.”

And so, they do, listening to their self-assigned leader.

The rain does get worse. It gets darker, too, as night begins to fall over Eterna Forest. They all start to worry about having to sleep out in the rain when something appears through the trees and downfall.

A house.

It’s swathed by tendrils of ivy climbing their way towards the roof and splotched with patches of emerald green moss. It’s a chalky color, with a light peppering of black in some places due to age. The windows are a deep brown, shoddy paint chipping along the frames’ lips and brow, the very age of the building showing in its deterioration. It seems like it had once been a beautiful place to live, but it has since fallen into disrepair and left to rot in the trees of Eterna Forest. It doesn’t look inviting in the slightest, but it’s getting cold and there’s nowhere else to go… 

Plus, there is a light coming from inside.

It’s barely there. Just the occasional flicker, a warm orange seeping through the windows and bathing the damp, overgrown grass that makes up the ruined courtyard, which looks more like a small lake than solid ground.

They have to.

Trudging through the mud and water, the group approaches the front double doors- wide, red things cut from sturdy wood. Murkrows and Hoothoots watch from the towering black trees surrounding the Old Chateau, silently judging, but none making a sound. They look almost…worried.

Alyssa knocks on the door, but there is no answer. She glances back at her friends, then grabs the doorknob. The cracks inside the door’s frame and its hinges are green. It looks like it would fall over if the curved knob is yanked too hard.

The tumblers of a locking mechanism fell away with a grinding crack. When the front door is pushed open, the hinges protest with a deafening creak, sounding as though the rotten wood is splintering even as the heavy door scraped along the floor. Then, the Old Chateau breathes its first breath of open air in what seems like centuries. 

It’s dark inside. Vamp and Lady are let back out to help light the way with their fire, though they’re given specific instructions to be careful. Even with the rain outside, this place is so old and brittle it can go up in flames with ease. 

The foyer is large, with a doorway leading into darkness directly in front of them and two grand staircases winding up to a visible second floor on either side of the wall. The floorboards creak with every step as the group begins to explore.

Winnie is the one who feels it first- that something isn’t right with this place. She wonders if the others are as concerned as she is about the lack of light inside the house, despite having seen a glow coming from within when they were outside.

They leave the clothes from their bags out to dry in the large dining room and whatever they have on is wrung out over the kitchen sink. They’re still damp, but not completely soaked. Perhaps they will only get a cold from this and not something deadly like pneumonia. 

As they explore the rest of the Old Chateau, the weird feeling in Winnie’s gut turns to a wrenching sensation. Her skin prickles and the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. When she turns to walk out of the room she’s in, she catches a glimpse of her reflection on a rain-smeared window in the hallway, along with the bloodshot eyes of the tall person standing directly behind her.

Winnie whips around with a scream, tripping over her own feet and tumbling to the ground. She scoots back hastily, pressing up against the wall beneath the window, but there’s no threat to run from because there’s nothing there when she looks at the place where she used to stand. There is no person or figure or anybody. Just herself and her fear.

Her friends rush over at her cry. 

  “What? What’s wrong?” Alyssa asks, looking worried.

  “I-- I saw something,” Winnie manages to choke out through the strangle of terror wrapped around her throat. “There was someone standing behind me!”

Much to her dismay, her friends don’t seem very alarmed. In fact, they look more…

Amused.

They’re amused. Of course they are.

  “It was probably just your imagination, sweetie,” Alyssa says, at least trying to be nice, unlike Kaylee and Nick, who are snickering.

  “You do have an overactive imagination, Little Red,” Kevin nods.

  “But-- but I saw something! I really did!” Winnie argues.

Alyssa pulls her to her feet. “Just try not to think about it. We’ll be out of here before you know it.”

  “And if anything tries something, there’s more of us than there is of it,” Emma says. “We’ll be fine!”

That helps comfort Winie slightly, though her nerves don’t lessen as the night progresses. The others seem to notice this because Alyssa and Emma allow her to sleep in their chosen room when it is eventually time to go to bed. Aided by their presence, along with Mewtwo’s, who never slept without her, Winnie curls up in the dusty, Mothim-eaten blankets, buries her face in Flower’s soft fur, and tries to let herself slip off into a peaceful rest… 

She’s awoken by a scream.

Instantly, Winnie jolts upright, adrenaline flashing through her like a Pikachu using Thunderbolt. Emma, Alyssa, and Mewtwo follow, and they all run out to see Shelby and Kevin already crowding around one of the upstairs doors. Upon entering, they see Kaylee and Nick on their feet, backed away from the window, twin expressions of terror on their faces.

  “What happened?” Kevin asks.

  “There was something watching us while we were sleeping!” Kaylee yells, her voice pitched up a few octaves because of her fear. 

  “A Pokémon, maybe?” Emma tries to suggest.

Nick shakes his head. “That wasn’t a Pokémon. It looked like a person.”

They all shiver.

  “Wait--” Shelby looks all over. “Where’s Lady?”

They all start looking, realizing that a few members of their group are missing.

  “Ninja’s gone, too!” Nick says.

  “So is Nugget!” Emma cries.

The panic increases tenfold. Everyone starts to talk over one another as they babble uselessly about what to do. 

A noise soon arises from the din of hysteria. Humming. Someone is humming from somewhere in the house.

Winnie whips her head to the left, but the humming echoes in her right ear. She whips her head to the right, but the humming transfers to her left ear. She looks forward, and the humming encompasses her on all sides.

  “Who-- who’s there?” Emma yells down the hallway, meaning she can hear it, too. By the pallor on her friends’ faces, they can, as well.

At her shout, the humming ceases. The silence seems to ponder the demand like a curious Pokémon, then is filled once again. Winnie can hear chanting. Singing. It is low and haunting. It makes her eyes glaze and head spin. She can’t think. She wants to jump out the window. 

The window. There’s no more rain, but snow. It’s snowing. How long has it been snowing?

She looks closer. The view outside is the same view as the one outside her bedroom window, overlooking Snowpoint. It’s so blissfully peaceful. She has always loved the sight and would often sit by and watch the snow come down for hours. Oh how she misses the fire-fed heat of her house and the smell of ice.

  “We could go back, you know.”

Winnie blinks harshly. She looks away from the foggy glass. The humming and singing has formed proper words, and they sound exactly like her mother’s voice.

  “Mom?” Winnie calls.

  “Winnie,” her mother replies. “My sweet, sweet girl.”

  “Mom,” Winnie chokes out. “Mama…”

  “I’m here, darling,” her mother says. Winnie thinks she can see her in the distance, her form silhouetted in the darkness of the hallway. “Mama’s here.”

  “I miss you,” Winnie says, taking a small, shambling step forward. Her head feels stuffed full of cotton. Her blood is tickling her veins. “I know I just saw you, but-- Mama, I miss you so much.”

  “I miss you too, my precious baby girl,” her mother says. “You have had such a hard time getting here, all alone, forgotten by your friends time and time again, but it’s alright now. We can go home, Winnie. Aren’t you tired?”

  “Tired,” Winnie echoes.

  “Tired,” the darkness sighs.

She is. She really, really is, but she can hear something off about her mom’s voice and her family never calls her Winnie.

Something clamps the back of her shirt and yanks her backwards. Winnie yelps and looks up to see the panicked eyes of Alyssa staring down at her. She takes several deep breaths before choking out, “Thank you.”

She looks around. The snow on the window is rain again. The humming has fallen silent. Her mother’s figure is no longer down the hallway, but Winnie guesses that she was never there to begin with. Her friends are all pale and shaking, echoed expressions of pain across their faces, and it’s only then that Winnie becomes aware of a terrible headache pressing down on her temples.

  “What’s going on?” Kevin whispers softly, horror edging his voice.

Porygon looks down at him. This building is gripped with great anguish and pain. The residents find it fun to mess with those who enter their domain, if not to distract themselves from their own torturous existences.

  “The residents…” Winnie repeats to herself. “Oh.” She looks at Porygon. “Can we speak to them?”

  “What?” Alyssa snaps her head to Winnie.

You can, yes, Porygon nods.

  “Then I’m going to,” Winnie decides.

  “Are you crazy?” Nick snaps. “These-- these things are insane! Did you not just see what they did?”

Winnie wonders if they all glimpsed something else. She shakes her head. “I have the least to lose. You guys have each other. Your couples, I mean. It would be devastating if you guys got broken up because of this. So I’ll go.”

Her friends shift, all looking nervous and unwilling, but none of them look like they want to volunteer, either. 

  “Stay in the room where it’s safe,” she says. “I’ll be back.”

With that, she leaves Flower and Mewtwo with her friends and ventures down the hallway.

As she walks, the sound of old-timey jazz music cuts through the silence and gets closer. There’s a light at the end of the hallway, and when she reaches the staircase, she realizes it’s because the foyer is lit up.

The Old Chateau doesn’t look very old anymore. The wooden walls are in pristine condition and the floors are shined to perfection. Silk tapestries and thriving plants decorate the space as people down below chatter and dance. They’re all dressed in clothes that don’t fit the current time period at all. It’s like Winnie has just stepped right into the past.

Winnie mounts one of the giant staircases. As she’s walking down, she stabs herself on a loose splinter of wood while grazing her hand over the banister. She hisses in pain and jerks her arm back. Nobody in the party pays her any mind.

There’s something off about the lighting here, she realizes. Though the glow cast from the crystal chandelier hanging overhead is gold and bright, it seems almost dull, like it was filtering in through dirty glass. 

In the middle of the crowd, there is a man drinking from a shiny glass cup and tapping his foot to the beat of the jaunty music being played. He’s sharply dressed and has dark brown hair combed back to perfection. Something about him draws Winnie in, so she walks over. When she’s maybe three paces away, he turns and meets her gaze directly with a wide smile. There’s something swimming in his eyes.

  “Winona,” he says, and Winnie knows better than to ask how he knows her name. 

  “Welcome,” he goes on. His eyes, as deep green as the entire Eterna Forest, slide around her. Winnie doesn’t dare turn around to follow his gaze. “Your friends. They do not wish to see us?”

  “I felt that it was best if they stayed in the room,” Winnie says.

  “I see.”

A second person steps up. Her blonde hair cascades down over her narrow shoulders, pruned and shiny. When she speaks, her voice sounds eerily similar to how Winnie’s mother’s had been before the trance was broken by Alyssa.

  “We have been waiting for you.”

  “You have?” Winnie asks.

  “Yes. We knew you would come.”

  “We know everything, you see,” speaks the man. “Your name, your loss, your quest, your upbringing, how you came to be. We know the pain you were in, the pain you are in, and the pain you will be in. We know of everyone and everything. Our gift is knowledge, and yet, it also is our curse.”

It seems as though they have done this many times before.

  “What are your names?” Winnie asks.

The people seem surprised. A few of the other partygoers peek over, and Winnie can see flashes of pink dresses, brown hair, green eyes, red blood. She pulls her gaze away from them to focus on the ones in front of her.

  “It has been a long time since anyone has cared to ask our names,” the woman says.

  “I can’t seem to remember,” murmurs the man.

  “Your parents didn’t do a very good job at calling you something memorable then, did they?”

The people actually burst out laughing. The entire chateau laughs with them. Winnie can’t help but shiver.

  “You are a bold little one,” says a third woman that slinks up from behind Winnie. Her eyes are so dark they almost look black. “I respect it.”

  “If you don’t mind me asking, what are you?”

  “Again, I say,” the dark-eyed woman says. “Bold.”

  “We are the Beckoners. The Entanglers,” the blonde woman says. “We are the Shades who make plays out of Man.”

The man meets Winnie’s eyes and says, “We are the Shadows of this house.”

The dark-eyed woman steps forward. “Are you afraid, Winona Thompson?”

Winnie doesn’t dare move away from her. “Yes.”

The dark-eyed woman smiles. “Good.”

Winnie looks around. “The things upstairs… Was that you?”

  “Our presence is deadly, you see,” the dark-eyed woman says. “We manipulate what you most desperately desire and use that to our advantage.”

Remembering the voice of her mother, the vague outline of her in the hallway, Winnie turns her gaze downcast, somber. That had been the first time in years her mother had ever spoken to her with such a gentle, loving tone, and it wasn’t even real, it wasn’t really her. That is the thing that rips into her heart like vicious mandibles. 

  “We know what it is like to lose things, Winona,” the man says. “And not just from our knowledge and power. We understand your pain.”

  “You are doing an honorable thing, we will tell you that,” the blonde woman adds.

Winnie raises her eyes again. “What have you lost?” Then, quickly, “If I may.”

  “Our lives,” the dark-eyed woman says. “Our ability to think without a clamor of darkness filling our heads. Our bodies.”

  “Did someone do this to you? Why?”

  “Punishment,” a voice whispers from nearby. Winnie looks over and briefly sees a departing flash of white. She looks back at the three people in front of her.

  “Punishment for what?”

  “Everything and anything,” the man says.

  “Who did this?” Winnie presses. “Who hurt you?”

  “You want to help us,” they all muse, coming in close. They surround her. Brown against yellow against purple. They are warm. Their skin is soft. Their voices are sweet. They smell like wine.

They sound like her mother.  

  “Yes,” Winnie says. “Can I?”

The chateau laughs. The three do not. Winnie doesn’t shiver this time. 

  “No,” the blonde woman says. “No, you cannot. We cannot be helped.”

  “Not anymore,” the man adds.

  “Your head, child,” the dark-eyed woman speaks.

Winnie obeys and dips her head to the woman. The woman’s hands cup her cheeks and her touch isn’t natural.

  “Some stories have already been written,” she says. “Our,” she spreads an arm to the house, “myths went down long before you came along. Even if you told people what you have heard here, it will not change anything. We are monsters. And so are you. But you still have the capacity to change your story. Will you, Winona?”

  “Will you?” asks the blonde woman.

  “Will you?” asks the man.

  “Will you?” asked the chateau.

  “Will you?” asks the vague memory of her mother’s voice in the back of her mind.

  “Yes,” Winnie says. “I will.”

The dark-eyed woman smiles. “Very good.”

She steps back, releasing Winnie. 

  “Ah,” the blonde woman speaks up next. “Your hand.”

Winnie looks at her hand, remembering the cut in the palm. 

  “Our house truly is beasts in and of itself, is it not?” the man muses.

  “Let me see your hand,” the blonde woman says.

Winnie obeys again. She extends her hand, and the blonde woman takes it with her nimble fingers. Damp blood made the pale white skin turn red. Tipping her head forward, the woman kisses the wound, and Winnie feels something shiver through her tendons. 

  “There,” the blonde woman says. She steps back. “I will pray for a good healing.”

Though the cut hasn’t closed, the burning sensation it used to hold is now gone. She brushes her thumb over the expanse of the wound.

  “Thank you.”

  “No, Winona,” the man says. “Thank you.”

  “What for?” 

The man and all the other ghosts smile sadly, unshed tears glinting in their eyes. 

  “For being the first person to talk to us in a very long time.”

  “Go now, child,” the blonde woman says. “Your friends are waiting. We have returned your missing companions.”

  “And remember,” the dark-eyed woman says. “We all do things we shouldn’t have. That does not always make us monsters. It all depends on what you decide to do with your claws and fangs.”

They all look up at her and ask, “What will you do?”

When Winnie walks back up the stairs, the spell is broken. There is no more music, no more people. The walls are chipped and disheveled and the floor is scuffed once again. It’s like the party never happened at all.

She returns to her friends, who are discussing the sudden arrival of Lady, Nugget, and Ninja. Instantly, they clamor her for details, so she tells them.

  “A Mismagius,” she says. “Their chanting can create hallucinations.”

  “So we were all just tripping?” Kevin asks.

  “Basically,” Winnie answers. “But hey, the rain stopped. We should probably get moving. It’s their house, after all.”

The entire group agrees, instantly gathering their belongings and heading for the door. On the way out, however, something stops Winnie.

Footsteps.

Turning, she sees them.

The ghosts of the Old Chateau.

Banettes and Dusclops and Yamasks and Sableyes. Litwicks on the banister and a Chandelure where the chandelier used to be. A Gengar stands at the foot of the left staircase and a Mismagius hovers over the bottom of the right. A Trevenant is in front of Winnie. 

She smiles at them and dips her head. They all do the same. 

She looks down at the Trevenant. It won’t stop looking at her. She extends a hand to it, and it takes it. She leads it out of the Old Chateau, neither of them looking back. 

———

  “Wait, you named your weird tree thing what?”

  “Secretkeeper. And she’s a Trevenant. Don’t be rude.”

  “It’s creepy.”

Winnie glares at Nick, who has no problem with being a jerk to everyone in existence. Someone should teach him a lesson.

She can teach him a lesson.

  “Alright then,” Winnie says. “Let’s battle.”

Nick blinks as she stands up. The light of the campfire illuminates her determined features.

  “What?”

  “Let’s battle,” Winnie repeats. “Come on. Me and Secretkeeper against you and anyone you like.” A small smirk twitches on her lips. “Unless you’re too scared.”

  “Oooh,” coo the others.

Nick jumps up instantly. “I am not!” he barks. “You’re on.”

And so, the battle is set up, their field being the clearing they were camping out in. Alyssa acts as their referee. 

 “This will be a one-on-one Pokémon battle!” Alyssa announces. “The first to be knocked out loses!”

  “Let’s go, Muscle!” Nick yells, sending out his Hawlucha.

  “Go, Secretkeeper!” 

The battle is set. The others huddle in eagerly.

  “I’ll let you have the first move,” Nick says. “You’ll need it.”

Winnie narrows her eyes at him. He’s acting like her father had when they battled back in Snowpoint.

  “Alright then,” Winnie says. “Secretkeeper, use Forest’s Curse!”

  “Trev!” Secretkeeper holds out her wooden hands, summoning a barrage of green flames. They surround Muscle, settling deep into his feathers and inflicting him with an earthly hex. His scleras fade to a distinct green, but no form of damage appears to happen.

Nick blinks, then shrugs, not understanding the implications of the move. “Heh. You’re gonna have to try harder than that, Freckles! That won’t stop us! Muscle, use Fire Punch!”

  “Secretkeeper, use Phantom Force!”

Muscle’s fist bursts into flames as he rushes at Secretkeeper, but before he gets the chance to land the hit, Secretkeeper vanishes from sight, as though the very shadows of Eterna Forest had swallowed her up. Muscle skids to a halt, his attack power dissipating into embers as he looks around in confusion.

  “What the hell?” Nick mutters. His eyes then widen as he notices the black whirlpool of energy appear beneath Muscle’s feet. “Muscle, look out!”

But it’s too late. Secretkeeper rises from the shade, driving her claws up against Muscle’s lower jaw and sending him flying backwards. 

  “Muscle!” Nick yells. 

Muscle wobbles to his feet, unsteady at first, then gives Nick a thumbs up. Nick grins.

  “Great. Use Bulk Up!”

Muscle begins to flex his muscles, feathers glinting a deep red as his attack power is boosted. Kaylee wolf whistles from the sidelines.

  “While they’re doing that, Secretkeeper, use Trick Room!” 

Secretkeeper holds out her hand again, this time creating a faint pink barrier around the battlefield. Upon its materialization, something shifts in the air, like the atmosphere has been flipped upside down. 

  “You’re making this really easy, you know,” Nick says. “You had the perfect chance to attack while Muscle was bulking up.”

  “And risk the chance of an attack from up close?” Winnie says. “I know you, Nick. I’m not that stupid.”

  “We’ll see about that. Muscle, use Brave Bird!”

  “Secretkeeper, use Poison Jab!”

Muscle draws himself back, then rushes forward in a blur of burning blue energy. However, his movement is noticeably slower, like he has heavy logs wrapped around his ankles by vines, and Secretkeeper is able to go upon him with glowing purple claws, moving as fast as a Pikachu. She jabs him in the back, sending him sprawling in a super-effective attack.

  “What the?” Nick growls. “How did--?!”

That would be Forest’s Curse, Trevenant’s signature move, Porygon’s voice travels around the battlefield like it’s on a speaker. It changes the attacker’s type to Grass, so using Poison Jab would end up being super-effective when it usually is just like any other move. And adding in Trick Room makes the slower Pokémon move first, so Hawlucha would attack last, making it easier for Trevenant to get hits in. They look at Winnie thoughtfully. A very wise plan, I must say.

Pride flitters through Winnie, and she can’t help but puff her chest out a little. “Thank you! I know how Nick battles. He’s really strong, so I knew I couldn’t just go in attacking like I would with anyone else. I’d get beaten to a pulp! So when I checked Secretkeeper’s moveset and saw those three moves together, I knew I could use strategy.”

Porygon nods. That is very smart of you, little one. I’m impressed.

Winnie grins brightly, energized by the praise. Secretkeeper, having been locked away in the Old Chateau for so long, away from any forms of approval, looks equally as strengthened by Porygon’s words, standing up a little taller and letting out a few victorious cries.  

Nick, on the other hand, has a deep, dark glint in his eyes. He no longer looks competitive, but rather angry. Outraged, even. Winnie knows he’s a bit of a sore loser, but this just seems like full-blown fury on his expression.

  “Strategy won’t do you very good against real strength,” he says, a growl reminiscent of a threatened Houndoom rumbling in his voice.

But that ‘real strength’ won’t do you very good if you don’t have your speed, Porygon says to him. 

Nick glares, then looks at Muscle. “Muscle, are you alright?”

Muscle grunts. As he attempts to get up, he’s consumed in a flash of sickly purple, courtesy of Poison Jab.

It’s poisoned, Porygon says. What an unfortunate situation Nicholas has found himself in.

Nick growls again, and this time he even looks like an angry Houndoom, eyes burgeoning, teeth slightly showing between parted lips. “Muscle, get up! Come on! You can’t let her win!”

Muscle struggles, but manages to stand up. Porygon shakes their head in disappointment.

Pushing your Pokémon to the breaking point isn’t going to make you a good trainer, Porygon says. A good trainer would recognize when their Pokémon is unable to go on and will maturely stand down.

  “Muscle is fine,” Nick says, but Muscle definitely looks worse for wear. The Hawlucha is swaying slightly on his feet, eyes still green, and now has a distinct purple flush over his beak thanks to Poison Jab. From that one hit, he’s reduced to weakness, but is forcing himself to stay up to remain loyal to his trainer. 

  “Now, Muscle, use Cross Chop!”

  “Haw!” Muscle rushes forward at Secretkeeper and slices his glowing white talons over her chest in an X formation. When he jumps back and lands, Poison flares through him, but he manages to stay on his feet.

Secretkeeper does, too.

In fact, it looks like she hadn’t been hit at all. 

Ghost-Types are immune to Fighting-Type moves, Porygon says. I thought you would know that, Nicholas.

Nick looks overwhelmed. Winnie almost feels bad, but then remembers all the time he’s teased her for her lack of strength. He deserves this. 

  “Secretkeeper, use Poison Jab!”

  “Hit it with Fire Punch before it can get you, Muscle!”

Muscle raises his fist, feathers turned to fire, but Trick Room does its job and slows down his attack time, giving Secretkeeper the chance to slash him with her talons. Muscle goes rolling across the ground, shuddering. Poison zaps the last of his strength and he falls limp, unconscious.

  “Muscle is unable to battle!” Alyssa declares. “Secretkeeper wins, and the winner is Winnie!”

  “You did it, Secretkeeper!!” Winnie yells gleefully, running to her Pokémon. Secretkeeper meets her halfway and attempts to jump into her arms, but the weight makes them both fall to the floor, laughing. “Oof, you’re heavy. But you did it! You won our first ever battle together!”

  “Trev! Trevenant!” Secretkeeper proclaims, and though Winnie can’t understand what she’s saying, she knows she’s proud.

You battle so well, Winnie! Mewtwo says, bounding over. In the labs we never did something like that! The scientists only cared about brute strength.

Brute strength is effective, yes, but it is reckless and predictable, Porygon says, teleporting over her shoulder. It is easy to overwhelm the fighter when all they do is attack. 

Winnie goes to stand up, but Mewtwo pulls her right to her feet, grinning widely. Mewtwo pats her head, then Secretkeeper’s head, still gushing about how amazed she is.

  “This means nothing,” Nick says, glaring at them. 

It is okay to lose, Nicholas, Porygon says, but that only seems to make Nick even angrier.

  “Whatever,” he spits. “Let’s just not forget who lost the first battle in a Pokémon competition. And who got turned on by their own Charizard. How does Hyper Beam taste, Winnie?” With that, he turns and stalks off to brood on his own.

That was rude, Mewtwo says.

  “Ignore him,” Emma says, walking up. “He’s always like that.” She then smiles at Winnie. “You did really good, Little Red. I’m proud of you. You’re pretty wicked, too, Secretkeeper.”

Secretkeeper throws her arms up with a victorious, “Trev!”

Winnei smiles at Emma. “Thanks.”

Still. Nick’s words echo in her ears. Her own doubt and self-hatred settle back in, the victory no longer chasing them off, and her thoughts spiral back to the same thing that always runs rampant through her brain.

You are useless.

Chapter Text

The Order

The sloshing of mud is REALLY starting to get on Nick’s nerves.

After sleeping through most of the day in a cave thanks to their unwelcomed wakeup call back in the Old Chateau, Nick and his companions are on the move again. But because of the heavy rainfall the roads have been reduced to ankle-deep masses of mud and slime. The wetness worms its way into Nick’s already weather-worn sneakers, completely ruining them, and he guesses that it isn’t much better for the Pokémon, who can’t even wear shoes. The fur or skin or scales around their ankles is a dark brown color, and Nick wonders if it will be stained that way forever.

The loss to Winnie is still weighing heavily in Nick’s mind. It’s all he can think about. He just can’t wrap his head around it. How did he manage to lose a battle to someone as pathetic as Winnie “scared to pee in public” Thompson? And against a tree no less! A tree she just caught and barely had time to bond with, and yet it responded to her so well! He’s had Muscle for years and lost! 

Arceus. No wonder his dad left.

  “Nick?”

There is a gentle touch on his arm; Nick turns his head to see Kevin by his side, giving him a faint smile.

  “Yeah?” he says in his best definitely-not-upset voice.

  “Are you alright?” Kevin asks.

  “Yeah,” Nick says again.

  “Are you sure?” Kevin presses. “You seem a little upset.”

  “I’m fine, Kevin,” Nick says, trying not to let his anger filter in against his best friend. 

Kevin studies him for a moment. He’s always been the observative type, at least towards other people. He makes up for his lack of proper strength and book smarts in kindness and compassion. He’s basically the exact opposite of how Nick is.

  “Alright,” Kevin says, respectfully pulling back. “I’m here if you need me, though.”

  “Alright.”

Hours pass. It’s a long walk before the dense forest that characterizes Eterna levels out into rolling plains. The sun begins to set and the last of summer’s humidity weighs thickly in the air. It will be autumn soon, which means cooler temperatures, but more wind, rain, and snow. Nick isn’t sure which is worse.

That being said, when the group eventually comes to a community built around several branching rivers, in a valley full of flowers, it is welcome indeed. 

Floaroma Town. 

Usually, such a large source of water would mean a great number of fish, prosperous harvests, and constant hydration, but the streams are cloudy and dirty with mud. The flowers growing in the meadow are shriveled and weak, some of them uprooted completely, others washed out, and the rest struggling to grow, as though the very earth is infused with the pollution that taints the waterways. Even their Pokémon, usually so willing to lap from puddles, refuse to stick their mouths in the flow and drink from the murk.

Something is terribly wrong here.

Nick almost considers telling his companions to stray away from Floaroma. They have their own town to get to, nor was the contamination of the rivers their problem or business, but it’s clear they are all tired and want to sleep in an actual bed instead of the hard forest floor. Plus, fall is coming down quickly, like the chill Snowpoint had followed them from the forests. Already, he can feel the chill of Arcticuno’s first breaths sweeping through the trees, teasing the hairs on the back of his neck, taunting him with the freeze that is sure to soon come. As comfortable as his jacket is, he has a feeling it would be better to sleep inside somewhere if he wants to weather the cold with all his fingers and toes still attached.

A small group of locals and their Pokémon are worrying over what appears to be decaying stalks of roses when Nick and his friends approach. They are all slimed in so much mud and grime that not even the rain could have washed it away, and they all appear very anxious, but still jump up when they notice the group walking over.

  “Visitors,” one says. A weary-looking Lurantis is standing at her side. “Hello. Welcome to Virizion’s plains! Or, it used to be…” She glares at the wilting flowers beneath her feet, then looks back up again. “I apologize for the dull sight. Usually Floaroma is bursting with life, but lately we’ve been struck with quite the problem in our plants.”

  “I can tell,” Alyssa says, looking around. The ground is damp and squelched beneath wandering feet, seemingly permanently infused with wetness. “What happened?”

  “A storm hit recently,” the woman explains. “Which was then followed by a flood. Have you not noticed our rivers?” She casts a troubled gaze out to the murky waterways, where two villagers are trying and failing to plant new crops in the loose, marshy ground. “Usually we’re bursting with enough flowers to pollinate all of Sinnoh, but now our waters have become tainted.”

  “That certainly doesn’t sound good,” Emma says. 

It is also certainly out of their area of profession. Far out of it. Nick just wants a nice bed, maybe a new coat, and then a way out of here.

  “It isn’t,” the woman says, shaking her head. 

  “Have you done something to anger Zekrom?” Winnie asks. “Or Suicune or Virizion?”

Nick rolls his eyes at that stupid comment, but the woman jumps as though she had been stung by a Beedrill. Her eyes go wide. “Arceus, no! Never! We have Virizion to thank for our prosperous meadows, Suicune for our water, and Zekrom for the rain!”

  “Not anymore,” Nick mutters, casting a look at a basket full of rotting flowers.

The woman shakes her head. “Well, while you’re here, try to enjoy your stay.”

Nick and his friends are housed in the Pokémon Center near the heart of Floaroma. After chatting with the locals and being given a steaming supper, Nick curls up in his bed, closes her eyes, and is placed into smothering muddy water for the rest of the night…

…or until he abruptly wakes up, of course. 

Floaroma City is as dead as it is during the day, though it’s much more depressing right now because, well, it’s nighttime. Anybody who broods alone at nighttime usually has problems they have to deal with, and though Nick Boomer is never one to admit that something is troubling him, he will say that he definitely has something on his mind. 

Sneaking out of the Pokémon Center had been easy. He was too worked up to cuddle with Kaylee that night, so there hadn’t been any limbs to wiggle out from under. Now that he’s outside, however, he’s faced with nothing but his own thoughts and the biting indecision of wanting to confront or deny them.

He walks to one of the streams and stares into it. The water is still murky and he can barely see his reflection, but maybe it’s better that way. He rather not see the face of such a failure.

He hates being here. He wants to go back home already. 

He hates having to travel with Winnie. He wants to throw her into the river and watch her get washed away out of his life.

He hates feeling all these awful emotions. He wants--

--to go back to his room. The Ability Warrior: Poké Ranger! was on and he really didn’t like missing the new episodes because then he had no idea what happened and had to wait until a rerun and by then the whole thing was already spoiled to him.

He also really didn’t like the looks his parents were giving him. 

  “What’s goin’ on?” he asked, shifting uncomfortably in the dining room chair. His voice was high, as he was only eleven-years-old. Ninja, still an Oshawott, was sitting in his lap, fiddling with his shell, which he would sometimes bop against Nick’s thigh.

His parents looked nervous for some reason. His mother was messing with the hem of her dress and his father wouldn’t even look at him. Their partners--a Flaafy and a Poliwrath--just looked like they were pitying him.

  “Honey, there’s something we need to tell you,” his mother finally said, meeting his eyes. 

  “Okay,” Nick said, looking at her to his father. “What is it?”

  “Well, there’s no easy way to put this…” his father said, grasping for something he couldn’t quite bring to words, and Nick was even more confused.

  “I can take it,” Nick said. Then, puffing out his chest, he added, “I’m strong!”

That got small smiles from his parents.

  “That’s my boy,” his father said.

  “Yes, you are, Nick,” his mother nodded. “Which is why we hope you will understand the conclusion we’ve come to.”

Nick looked at them expectantly. Even Ninja was watching, now.

His mother took a deep breath, then said, “Nick, your father and I are getting a divorce.”

Nick blinked once, twice, three times.

  “What?”

  “We’re getting a divorce, Nick,” his father said. 

Four times, five times, six times… 

  “It’s not like we hate each other,” his mother rushed forward. “We just don’t love each other anymore.”

Seven times, eight times, nine times…and then Nick realized he was trying to keep oncoming tears at bay.

  “I don’t understand.”

He couldn’t understand. It felt like his entire world was flipped upside down, that everything he ever knew was crumbling inward, crushing him beneath its weight. He tried to just focus on breathing, but then he became aware that he couldn’t breathe. His chest hurt. His lungs hurt. His heart hurt.

Why?

The question didn’t leave his mouth.

He blinked again; the tears came free, salty and burning and as hot as Lava Plume against his cheeks. He could only stare at his parents, into their big, sad eyes, as he cried quietly, his tears dripping off his jaw and mixing with the white fur on Ninja’s head. 

  “I-- I don’t…”

--well, he doesn’t know what he wants.

Nick storms away from Floaroma, to the flooded meadow where nobody can potentially see him, then sends out his Pokémon. They’re all bleary and confused from being woken up.

  “Come on,” he says to them. “We’re training.”

They don’t disobey him, even if they are tired. He’s tired, too, but he isn’t going to let that stop him.

  “Ninja, Ice Beam. Earthquake, Scorching Sands. Muscle, Cross Chop. Riley, Air Slash.”

His Pokémon heed his commands, sending out a barrage of attacks on the nearby trees and sending bird Pokémon sleeping within darting off fearfully. Watching, Nick wishes so badly he can be as strong as them. He wishes he can spit ice from his mouth or turn his nails into dragon claws. He wishes he can face the issues clamoring the space in his head and be the person he really wants to be.

  “Ninja, use--”

--Hydro Pump!”

The sun was hot and the summer humidity was unbearable, but Nick still didn’t stop. He watched as his Oshawott blasted a tree with a torrent of water, but it wasn’t strong enough. Not for Nick’s standards. Not for his father’s standards.

  “No, Ninja, I said Hydro Pump!” twelve-year-old Nick said. “That’s Water Gun!”

The little Oshawott looked back at him apologetically, then tried again.

Water Gun.

  “Don’t you remember how Dad’s Poliwrath did it?” Nick said. “You gotta take it from the gut! Draw in the power and then release! Try it again.”

Ninja obeyed.

Water Gun.

Nick clenched his fists. “This is useless,” he growled. “How is Dad gonna come back if we can’t even master a single move? He likes strong trainers! We need to be strong, Ninja!”

  “Osha!” Ninja agreed, and then was enveloped in a distinct white glow.

--Hydro Pump! Quake, use Earthquake! Muscle, use Fire Punch! Riley, use Crunch!”

Being a Pokémon just seems so much easier than being a human. Getting to battle all day without any repercussions, then being pampered by someone who wants you… It sounds amazing. He likes to think he would be a Lucario.

  “Ninja, use Dragon Tail! Quake, use Power-Up Punch, Muscle, use Brave Bird! Riley, use Poison Fang!”

If he was a Lucario, things would be so easy. He wouldn’t have to deal with all these stupid things like parental divorce and annoying little redheads who thought they’re better than him just because of one battle. At least his parents want him. They just don’t want each other. 

  “N--”

--ick, this is Jess. She’s Gabe’s daughter.”

Fourteen-year-old Nick sized up the girl in front of him. She was only a year younger than him from what his mom said, but looked a hell of a lot younger from her hunched stature and the way she was trying to hide behind her curly, dark brown hair. The Axew clutched in her arms looked like it had more guts than she did. When she met his gaze, her eyes sort of reminded him of a Sentret’s.

  “Why don’t you go show her to your room?” his mom said, really pushing for them to get along. Even though Nick didn’t enjoy it, he knew she liked this Gabe guy, so he relented.

  “Come on,” he said to the girl. She followed him up the steps of the house and into his bedroom.

  “So… This is my room. I’m Nick, by the way. And this is Ninja.”

  “Dew! Dewott!” cried the prideful Dewott at his side.

  “Jess,” Jess said. “This is Caliburn.”

  “Axew!” the Axew waved an eager clawed hand.

  “A Dragon-Type, huh?” Nick said, trying to bring up some form of communication between this girl. “You don’t look like the type to like Dragon-Types.”

Jess raised her head sharply at that. Her hair fell out of her face and, yup, she was definitely very Sentret-esque. It was actually kinda charming in a way.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked.

  “Nothing bad, nothing bad,” he answered. “You just seem very quiet. And Dragon-Types, well…aren’t quiet.”

  “Okay, then what type do you think does fit me?”

  “I dunno. Psychic?”

Jess let out a laugh, and Nick felt a small twinge of pride in his chest. It looked like she hadn’t laughed in a very long time.

  “Psychic? Please! That’s like me saying you look like a Bug-Type trainer!”

  “Oh, now you take that back!!”

--inja, use Aqua Jet! Quake, use Crunch! Muscle, use Brave Bird! Riley, use Air Slash!”

Nick watches the moves go out, completely destroying the poor trees he’s taking his wrath out on. The kickback of the attacks brushes against his cheeks like a soothing breeze.

Six inches of running water is enough to knock a human off balance and carry them downstream.

Nick whips around. Porygon is floating there behind him.

A rushing waterfall with a sixty foot drop is surely a quicker way to go.

  “What the hell does that mean?” Nick growls.

Whatever you would please, Porygon says, drawing closer. Nick doesn’t like it being so close to him, so he tries to edge away.

  “What do you want?”

I noticed you were awake, Porygon says. Nobody takes long walks in the middle of the night if they don’t have something bothering them. I thought I may lend my presence.

Nick snorts. “You’ve proven before you know little of basic human emotions.”

I know a lot, actually. My execution of them is just not the best, I will admit. But you aren’t exactly any different, now are you?

Nick narrows his eyes at the Pokémon. “The hell does that mean?”

You enjoy burying your own feelings, Porygon says bluntly. Though, ‘enjoy’ may not be the correct word. You are sometimes aware of this habit of yours, and you do not like it, but you also do not like showing your weaknesses to people.

  “Who would?” Nick crosses his arms. “It’s right there in the name. Weak. Weaknesses make you weak.”

That is the definition, yes, Porygon nods. But your problems aren’t that much different than the problems your friends deal with. You all struggle with the same thing.

  “And what would that be?” Nick asks sarcastically, barely listening.

Desire, Porygon answers. You are all creatures of want. You all yearn for something. You, for example, yearn for power.

Nick glares down at the muddy ground his feet are sunk into. The murk is in his lungs, too, sloshing inside of his chest, and it threatens to choke him.

  “What could that redheaded bitch have to yearn for?” he finally spits out. “You saw the place she lives. The little shit is rich! She has everything!”

Don’t you think your views of her are a little hypocritical?

  “What are you talking about?”

Your sister.

The mud turns to black ice.

  “Watch what you say,” he growls lowly.

You care about her, yes? Porygon asks.

  “Yes,” Nick answers slowly, suspiciously.

You were the first to introduce her as your sister. Without the “step” part in front of it. 

  “Yes.” Where is this thing going with this?

You know her struggle.

  “Yes.” Scars from glass shards on shaking shoulders, wariness towards his mother, violent flinches when things move too fast- Nick remembers it all. 

You would never want that harm to come unto her again, yes?

  “Yes. Get to the damn point already.”

Porygon looks him in the eye as it says, I am only asking, Nicholas. Because it seems to me you enjoy those things happening to other people, seeing as you’re so quick to disregard the obvious mistreatment Winona is going through under the hands of her family. Are you quite sure you wouldn’t like it if Jess was abused again?

The black ice turns to lava. Boiling, blistering, molten hot lava.

Without thinking, Nick is throwing himself at Porygon like a Luxray using Wild Charge, but he draws his arm back like he means to conjure the power to use Fire Punch. He lets his fist fly, only to meet the buzzing, rock hard surface of a glowing forcefield when Porygon uses Protect. Instantly, it feels like all the bones in his hands are reduced to dust and he crumples to his knees, sinking deep into the mud as he lets out a cry of pain that thunders through the night like Giratina roaring its resilience to Arceus. His knuckles burgeon red, then purple, bruises forming rapidly as he clutches it against his chest, rocking back and forth to try and comfort himself through the waves of discomfort.

You shouldn’t do that, Porygon says.

  “Fuck you!” Nick yells. He scoops up a handful of mud with his good hand and hurls it at Porygon. Porygon uses Protect again.

You really shouldn’t do that, Porygon says again, its voice as smooth and calm as a gently running river. Nick, on the other hand, feels like the flash flood that had ravaged Floaroma Town. 

  “You have no right talking about me and my sister like that, you goddamn bitch,” Nick seethes, glaring up at the thing.

I was in no way accusing you, Nicholas, Porygon says. And if you think I was, then I worry for your true nature. But I was simply making an observation. It is common knowledge to be confused at the difference in the way you treat both girls. You act as a protector for one, but a persecutor for the other. The duality just does not add up to goodness, Nicholas.

  “You know nothing, ” Nick hisses.

I know enough, Porygon says. I know you care about your sister deeply. It was a noble thing you did, opening your arms to her. But the way you turn around and treat others that aren’t her… It doesn’t look very good.

  “I don’t give a fuck what you think--”

I know, Nicholas.

  “--I act the way I want to act. You aren’t going to tell me otherwise. I don’t need to hear whatever Tauros-shit cryptic crap you have to spew.”

And yet.

  “And yet?”

In my judgement, it seems you simply do not have any other alternative to turn to. 

There is silence for a moment, thick and heavy, like tar slowly drying over Nick’s body. Then, he pushes himself to his feet, still cradling his wounded hand against his chest, and says, “When your end comes--and it will come--I hope you feel as horrible as I do right now.”

Undeterred by the threat, Porygon merely says in a gentle, lecturing voice, I already have. Again and again.

The Judge

It is the next day and Nick still hasn’t returned. Shelby figures that Nick probably needs some time to himself after losing the battle against Winnie. They are making pretty good time on their way to Jubilife City, so Nick can have a day to mope around before the gang gets moving again.

Shelby is taken out of her thoughts by a knock at the door. She looks up to see Kaylee and Alyssa.

“Hey, want to go on a little adventure?” Alyssa asks.

Shelby shakes her head. “I really do not want to leave the egg alone this close to hatching. What if the egg hatches into a Slugma and burns down the building?”

Kaylee responds with “Bring the egg with us, it will be fun. I mean, when was the last time the 3 of us spent a day together without our partners?”

“Then shouldn't we do something as a larger group-?”

“-Nope” Alyssa interrupts. “Winnie woke Emma and Kevin up early asking them to explore Pokemon tracks in the flower fields with her. I had them take the triangle and the gerbil with them. We just have to hope that those idiots don’t get into too much trouble.”

Shelby smiles. “Let me just get my bag together, then I’ll be ready to go. So, what’s the plan”

“Floraroma town has this awesome diner with THE BEST pancakes that we should hit first, then do some shopping at the flower shops, and then Valley Windworks offers tours that we should totally check out and…” Shelby starts to zone out Kaylee’s rambling as she prepares for the adventure. After a crazy journey like what they had, Shelby can really do for a normal day with her two best friends.

It will be a normal day, right?

———

Shelby would never say this out loud, but Kaylee was right. They did need a fun day to relax while Nick was busy moping. Breakfast was the best thing Shelby ate in a while (okay, second best because the pizzas with Kevin were so special). At the flower shop Shelby picked up some cute little flower accessories for all of her Pokemon. Rosemary especially loves having the pretty flowers all over her green fur.

Alyssa is busy talking about their plans as the trio walks towards Valley Windworks. Apparently there is a debate going around in Sinnoh about what the better source of energy is, wind or coal. Shelby honestly doesn’t care that much, but she’s having such a good time with her friends that she doesn’t care. 

Hey, maybe if wind takes over as the dominant form of energy, Dad will actually come home and notice me.

Shelby shakes her head at the thought. She is having a fun day with her friends, it is NOT the time to start thinking about family drama.

As they approach Valley Windworks Shelby looks at the sky. It is really windy today, which is good for the windmills, but Shelby can smell the ozone in the air and sees lots of clouds in the sky. A storm is coming.

The group signs up for the next tour, which starts in 5 minutes. It feels like Shelby barely has time to blink before the tour starts.

“Hello, I am Professor Russel Brussel Sprout, but you can call me Professor Sprout. I will be your tour guide today.”

Shelby clutches her egg tight while they go on the tour. It is actually very interesting learning how the windmills generate electricity for the region. On especially windy days like today, the windmills can generate enough electricity to power all of Floraroma and Jubilife for three days. And it’s renewable energy, so unlike coal they never have to worry about it running out.

Alyssa raises her hand to ask a question. “Why don’t you use electric type Pokemon to generate electricity for the region instead? And do you have flying type Pokemon around to use whirlwind when there are days of no wind?”

“Excellent Question!” Professor Sprout lets out a hardy laugh. “If we were to rely solely or largely on Pokemon power, then inhumane practices could come into question. After all, we don’t want to overwork our partners, do we? So we do have electric types working with the energy converters. My buddy Motor the Rotom loves jumping into machines to make fixes when there is a problem. But here at Valley Windworks, we do not ask Pokemon to do tasks that humans refuse to do. We are all equals here.”

The wind really starts to pick up. The four of them are on one end of the plant, far away from the nearest building. Thunder cracks as the gang realizes that they need to get out of there fast.

Professor Sprout looks to the sky. “Please Lord Zekrom may your storms be merciful on our souls.”

The Order

Nick is feeling so weak right now. He got dragged on a crazy journey, he keeps having nightmares, he lost to the ginger, and he keeps getting roasted by a fucking triangle!

Nick feels a shaking at his belt, and a second later Ninja emerges from his pokeball. Ninja affectionately rubs his head against Nick.

“Hey boy. You were worried about me, huh?”

“Rott-Rott!”

“I feel lost. I feel like I have to be strong all the time. Porygon was right, I am broken.”

“Rot. Samurott. Rot Rot Rot. Mur Mur. Sam Rot!” Ninja seems to be passionately saying something to Nick.

Nick lets out a small chuckle. “Ninja, you always know just the right thing to say. I am not broken. Ever since my dad handed me your Pokeball on my 10th birthday and met you as a little Oshawott for the first time, you have been by my side. You have been with me through my parents divorce, adjusting to life with a new stepsister, my first heartbreak. From every battle we ever faced. You are the one constant in my life, and I don’t know what I would do without you.”

Nick begins to think about something his father once told him. “It’s not about win or lose, it’s the path you choose.” If that’s the case then why is he still so broken?

Nick is taken out of his thoughts by the sound of thunder. He sees the windmills nearby and hears a scream. Nick quickly turns to Ninja. “Kaylee! That sounds like her scream! We have to go help. Ninja, use ice beam to freeze a path for use to quickly skate down!”

“Rott Rott!”

Ninja freezes a long path. Nick climbs onto his back as they start to slide down to the plant, a worried look on Nick’s face along the way.

The Judge

This is NOT how Shelby wanted her day to go. She just wanted to spend the day with her friends and her egg. Now she is hiding behind a windmill clutching her egg with one arm and the windmill with the other. She is scared.

“Rott Rott Rott!” Shelby hears a sudden cry.

“Ninja! Use Ice Beam to create a roof over everyone’s heads!” Shelby recognizes those voices. Nick is coming to the rescue!

A roof of ice forms over Shelby’s head and she is able to calm down for a moment. Suddenly, her egg starts glowing as the winds calm.

“Nick! Kaylee! Alyssa! I think the egg is hatching!” Shelby calls her friends. 

As they walk over with the pause from the storm, the egg finishes hatching to reveal the smallest Mudkip she has ever seen! He’s so cute and adorable.

“Awww! Look at the way he waddles on those tiny legs.” Mudkip smiles at the word waddles. Shelby picks him up. “You like the name Waddles, don’t you? Well Waddles, how would you like to be a part of my family?”

As a response Waddles shoots water at Shelby’s face. Then he does it to everyone else. They all start laughing.

Kaylee grins. “Shelby, if Waddles does that every time he meets someone, you’re in for quite a journey.

The gang leaves the windmill plant, all coddling over the newest addition to the family. With a baby Mudkip around, things will be interesting for sure.

———

At the end of the day the gang gathers around a campfire behind the Pokemon Center. Emma borrows a guitar which she brings to the campfire. There are 4 logs around the campfire. Emma and Alyssa are sitting on one with Nugget and Pretty at their feet and Emma’s new Toxtricity, Coda, standing beside them. 

Next is Kevin and Shelby. Rosemary the Deerling is giving baby Waddles the Mudkip a ride on her back with Cuddles standing by in case one of them gets hurt.

Kaylee and Nick are watching Vamp and Ninja play with each other.

On the last bench is Winnie sitting in between Porygon and Mewtwo. Flower the Absol has her head in Winnie’s lap.

“Hey guys,” Nick says. “I just want to apologize for my actions. I should not have been a jerk towards everyone. Winnie, I am sorry to you in particular. I have been raised thinking that I need to be strong all the time. Being beaten by you and your freshly caught Pokemon made me feel weak. I am sorry. You are actually a pretty cool kid.”

Winnie smiles. “Thank you, maybe we can be friends now.”

Nick nods. “I would like that.”

Alyssa looks at Emma, Kevin, and Winnie. “So, what did you guys do today?”

Emma looks hesitant to share with her girlfriend. “Uh, Winnie wanted to show us some Pokemon tracks in the flower field and we upset some Beedril and it’s a really long story.”

Winnie excitedly jumps in. “Emma caught her Toxtricity and Kevin caught a Heliolisk! And Kevin caught on fire!”

Alyssa looks shocked. “Kevin what!”

Kevin looks guilty. “I was trying to save the Heliolisk and Toxtricity from some angry Magmortar and they used fire attacks on me.”

Porygon answers in their always annoying voice. It’s true. Humans are very flammable.

Alyssa sighs. “At least the craziness is done for one day.”

Emma starts strumming on the guitart she borrowed from the Pokemon Center. Alyssa kisses her girlfriend as Emma sings the first line of a song.

Some hearts can conform, fitting the norm.

Alyssa takes the next part:

Flaunting their love for all to see. 

Winnie signals for Alyssa to let her take the next line:

I tried to change, thinking how easy life could be

Porygon, realizing their faults in trying to help the group, takes the next line:

I just kept on failing I guess that was a sign

Porygon and Winnie sing the next part together:

That there wasn’t much hope, for this unruly heart of mine

Mewtwo, who just wants to be included, takes the next part:

Then you came along, and right or wrong, feelings began to overflow

Kevin and Shelby look to each other as they sing:

We had to hide, thinking that no one else could know

Now Kaylee and Nick start singing:

And not having you near me was where I drew the line, so I had to conceal, this poor unruly heart of mine

Emma strums more as she gets lost in the music. 

And though I don’t know how or when, but somehow I learned to see

Alyssa picks right back up from her girlfriend again:

No matter what the world might say

The two lesbians join in in harmony:

This heart is the best part of me

And now the entire group is singing together on the chorus:

So fears all in the past

Fading so fast

I won't stay hidden anymore

I’m who I am

And I think that’s worth fighting for

And nobody out there ever gets to define

The life I’m meant to lead

With this unruly heart of mine

They continue to sing more verses. Everyone is singing and smiling and having a great time. Coda is backing up the beat of the music. All of their pokemon are out of their balls as they are having fun with everyone.

Eventually, they reach the final verse which Emma sings as a solo.

And nobody out there ever gets to define

The life I’m meant to lead

With this unruly heart, of mine

Emma strums one final chord before she bursts into tears. “I love you all so much! We may be a group of broken teens and Pokemon, but we are broken together! Thank you for being my family!”

Chapter Text

The Entity

The gang finally approaches Jubilife City, exhausted from the long journey it took to get there. 

Kaylee groans. “Uggh! I am so exhausted! Please tell me that we aren’t going straight there! I need a night of sleep and a shower to even look presentable in front of THE Dee Dee Allen!”

Alyssa is about to respond but Emma interrupts her, “First of all, Alyssa and I are not doing STRAIGHT anything.”

Kaylee glares at Emma, who sticks her tongue out. Alyssa pinches her girlfriend’s ear to get her to settle down. 

  “And second of all,” Alyssa continues. “We need to do some research first and set up a meeting with Dee Dee now that we are here. Before my father passed before I could ever get to know him, he left me some of the hotels in the Greene Hotel Chain in his will. There are locations in many regions, but Jubilife City and Sunyshore City are the only Sinnoh locations. I just need to walk in and prove who I am and we’ll get a room for the night no problem.”

Nick looks at Alyssa with a frown. “I’ve known you for multiple years and you only NOW mention that you are a hotel heiress? Why haven’t you said anything before?”

Alyssa sighs. “Because I don’t view myself as having a dad. Sure, my mom has told me good stories about him, but he died before I was even born. My mom married Mama Angie when I was too young to ever remember my life without two moms. Plus I don’t want people to judge me because they think I have money. And lastly, I don’t even have much interest in running hotels. My cousin runs the hotels and she does a great job at it, so why would I take away something that she loves so much?”

Emma lays a kiss on Alyssa’s shoulder. “So, where is it and what do we do?”

  “It is ten blocks south from here and I just need to talk to my cousin Lyn, who is the owner and manager of this location to give us the room. I normally visit my cousin for a week every summer anyway, so it’s not like she is a stranger to me.”

Satisfied with her response, the gang continues the trek to the hotel.

———

When the gang arrives at the hotel, everyone except Emma and Alyssa are surprised at just how fancy it is. The Greene family really has a history of owning and running hotels. It started many generations back with Louis Greene in Galar, but over the years it has expanded to Sinnoh, then Hoenn, to Kalos, to Kanto, and to all the rest of them. Daniel Greene, Alyssa’s biological father, only owned the two Sinnoh locations and the Goldenrod City location in Johto, but Alyssa still has stocks in the remaining locations. 

Although she owns the hotel, Alyssa plays no role in running or managing it. Her oldest cousin, Lyn, is the full-time manager as well as the acting owner for until Alyssa decides to take over the business, should she choose to do so. 

Alyssa asks her friends to wait outside, but has Emma come in with her. “I promise that I will send Emma out to you once we have a room. It’s just a huge favor and I don’t want to overwhelm Lyn with the size of our group.”

Alyssa walks to the front desk while holding Emma’s hand, and shows the worker her ID while asking to see her cousin. Alyssa starts shaking her leg and tapping her fingers. It’s what she always does when she’s anxious. She just doesn’t know why it feels like a big deal. Just seven teens and two crazy Pokémon exhausted from a long journey asking for a hotel room. What’s the worst that could happen?

Alyssa is broken from her thoughts by the sound of a door opening. Emma starts to flee like a Ponyta with the Runaway ability while Alyssa gets captured in a hug like an Onix using Bind. 

Alyssa feels a release from the bind as Emma takes her hand again and Alyssa looks up at the person who had trapped her. It’s a woman who is about four inches taller than Alyssa, with short, short curly brown hair, glasses, slightly darker skin than Alyssa, and a big smile on her face. Alyssa looks to her cousin and says, “Next time can you please not take my breath away like that. I need to breathe to take care of my girlfriend.”

  “What? Can’t I be excited to see my favorite cousin? Clearly one visit wasn’t enough this summer if you’re here again.”

  “I had a really crazy couple of weeks with my friends. That’s actually what I need to talk to you about. My friends and I need to stay the night, but there is a really LONG story about how we got here. Can we stay in the family suite for the night? I promise we’ll be gone in the morning. It’s seven of us plus all our Pokémon and then two extra crazy companions and--”

Lyn cuts Alyssa off. “You know you technically own this hotel, right? You can do whatever you want with it. Your friends can stay in the family suit while you and Emma spend the night in your bedroom that you have here. I do want to hear your story, though.” Lyn turns to Emma. “Emma, take these keys. You remember from last time where the suits and Alyssa’’s bedroom are, right? You can take your friends up while Alyssa tells me the story.”

Emma nods and takes the keys from Lyn. “Thank you so much! I’m happy to see you again.”

Lyn grins. “Just promise me that you and Alyssa will get at least six full hours of sleep tonight and you won’t be doing it all night. As much as I’m accepting of you two having fun, I have to be the responsible cousin and make sure that Alyssa is well rested.”

Emma’s face turns as red as a tomato berry as she says, “Yes sir!” before quickly scurrying out the door, clearly embarrassed.

Once Emma is gone, Alyssa smacks her cousin on the arm. “What did you do that for?”

Lyn laughs. “What? Embarrassing you two is my way of showing that I completely accept her into the family.”

Alyssa sighs. “Next time could you give me a little warning, at least? I don’t want Emma to think you mean it in a malicious way.”

  “Trust me, she knows that she’s like a little sister to me, just like you. Now, tell me about this crazy journey that you mentioned.”

Alyssa and Lyn sit down as Alyssa begins her tale. “This is a story about how seven dumbasses got roped into a journey with a magic triangle and a psychic cat...”

———

The sound of the shower running awakens Alyssa the next morning. 

She stretches, the navy silk sheets of the bed brushing delicately against her skin. Pretty and Nugget are curled up at the foot of the bed. There is a distinct warmth next to her and she looks over to see Emma curled up there, her face half-buried in the pillow. Her girlfriend looks absolutely divine under the rays of golden sunlight slipping in through the curtains, Ho-Oh’s gentle radiance spilling out over the gorgeous valley of her body and pooling into all of her crevices and curves. Alyssa deeply wishes to explore all of those spaces, but she remembers what Lyn had told her. Plus, it’ll be in bad taste to rail her girlfriend’s brains out in the general vicinity of other people. And without her strap, too. So, instead, she reaches out a hand and caresses Emma’s cheek, gently brushing hair from her face while admiring how beautiful she is. At her touch, Emma stirs, then cracks open her pretty hazel eyes. In the morning light, the flecks of green and gold look a little more noticeable. 

  “Good morning, beautiful,” Alyssa murmurs.

  “Morning,” Emma replies, sounding groggy from just waking up. She gives a big yawn that makes Alyssa’s heart melt.

  “Did you sleep well?” Alyssa asks.

  “Definitely,” Emma answers. “This is so much better than the forest floor.”

  “I think anything is better than the forest floor,” Alyssa chuckles. She dips down to steal a quick kiss before climbing out of bed, stretching again. “You can sleep for a little longer if you want.”

  “I may,” Emma says while flopping over on her back. “We’ll see.”

Alyssa smiles lovingly at her before slipping out of the room.

The suite is bright with sunlight slipping in through the floor-to-ceiling windows making up one of the walls, providing a sparkling view of Jubilife. Winnie is in the kitchen, leaning against the bar counter while nursing a cup of coffee. She looks tired, but perks up a little when she sees Alyssa.

  “Good morning,” the little ginger greets her.

  “Good morning,” Alyssa says back. “How did you sleep?”

  “Good,” Winnie says. “I still can’t believe you guys shunned me to the couch, though.”

Alyssa can’t help but laugh slightly. As big as the suite is, there isn’t enough space for everyone to sleep in the same bedrooms, so Winnie ended up having to stay on the couch with Porygon and Mewtwo. She was a good sport about it, but Alyssa still feels like it frustrated her slightly.

  “Sorry, I didn’t think you wanted to be wedged between any of the couples,” Alyssa says.

  “You don’t know what I want.”

They both laugh.

Kaylee then strides out of one of the other rooms, her hair wet and dripping over her shoulders. She must have been in the shower that Alyssa woke up to.

  “Morning,” Alyssa says to her.

  “Morning!” Kaylee says back. “The bathroom here is AWESOME!”

  “It is a suite, after all.”

  “I know! It’s AMAZING!”

Alyssa chuckles lightly. She pours herself a cup of coffee, chatting with Kaylee and Winnie as everyone else slowly wakes up. Once they’re all dressed, they go down to the breakfast area of the hotel to discuss their plan.

  “So, how do we find this woman?” Nick asks before shoveling a piece of pancake into his mouth.

  “It can’t be hard if she’s famous or something,” Kaylee says.

  “Yeah, but actually getting to her…” Shelby points out.

  “Oh right.”

  “I say we just storm the radio building and ask to see her!” Kevin suggests.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Alyssa says.

  “What other plan do we have?” Emma says. “What’s the worst that could happen by just going up and asking?”

  “Quite a bit, actually.”

Alyssa looks up from her breakfast to see Lyn gliding over, her Gloom by her side and a smile on her face. Her cousin greets each of them a good morning, which they all return.

  “Dee Dee Allen is a bit, how do I say this…stingy,” Lyn says. “Simply asking for an appearance on her TV show won’t cut it. If you can’t give her something in return, then you gotta prove that you’re worthy of her attention.”

  “And how do we do that?” Kaylee asks.

Lyn and her Gloom both smirk. “I’m glad you asked.” 

———

The mansion seems to be lit up from end-to-end. 

The night sky has hues of gold running across its horizon, rivaling the glow of the half moon and the myriad of stars out. The light from inside spills out into the front yard, which is cluttered with partygoers, all dressed in their finest suits, their Pokémon companions equally as well-groomed. They chat amongst each other in loud voices or boisterous cries, fighting to be heard over the music thumping through the air.

This is definitely the place.

Alyssa and her companions linger outside the mansion for a few moments, watching the ebb and flow of other people. They all definitely look the part thanks to Lyn: Emma is dressed in a baby blue suit that looks absolutely smashing on her; Nick and Kevin are in matching black tuxedos; Kaylee is wearing a rather skimpy hot pink dress, Shelby in an orange one, and Winnie a green one; and she’s in a pantsuit. Even their Pokémon have little accessories to make them look more pompous and regal, like they belonged at a place like this, including Mewtwo and Porygon, who have on little black bow ties around their necks. 

  “Okay, so here’s the plan,” Alyssa says. “We go in there, find Dee Dee Allen, and somehow convince her to let us go on TV. This is a party, so we can obviously have some fun, but don’t forget what we’re here to do. And if you drink, please at least try to stay sober. And be sneaky about it. I don’t want us to get arrested for underage drinking. You guys got all that? Good. Let’s go.”

They cross the threshold and step into the madness.

The Soul

Winnie watches all of her friends run off with each other and she isn’t even surprised this time. She is jealous and disappointed, though, and huffs quietly.

  “Alright!” she yells after them. “I guess I’ll be over here!”

They don’t answer. Even if there hadn’t been blasting music swallowing up her voice, she still thinks they wouldn’t have spared her a glance.

Are you alright? Mewtwo asks. Her voice is crystal clear, even with all the noise in the building. Several people are staring at her, so she adjusts her bowtie and flashes them her best smile. A server is so distracted by this that he completely overflows the glass he’s pouring champagne into.

  “Fine,” Winnie sighs. She shakes her head and stands up taller. “Oh, who needs them! We can have fun on our own!”

Porygon tilts their head. Can we?

  “Yes, we can!” Winnie nods haughtily. “We’ll show them. Come on.”

The four of them, including Flower, who has actual flowers braided in her fur, go to a forest of sculptures set up around the party space, carved straight from ice and being tended to be Ice-Type Pokémon. Twisting spirals, braided tendrils, and delicate swirls mingled with glorious bells and vast mountains, towering trees and clusters of Articuno feathers. 

Winnie. Mewtwo squeezes one of Winnie’s arms tightly.

Winnie looks up at her. “Yeah?”

Look. Mewtwo points to one of the sculptures.

  “Wanna go look at it?”

Mewtwo nods vigorously. Winnie giggles. They begin to walk over, and Mewtwo nearly drags Winnie when she leaps forward to look at the closest sculpture: a beautiful, branching ice tree with fat orbs of sugary fruit. 

It’s so pretty… Mewtwo murmurs, her eyes sparkling. 

  “It is,” Winnie agrees. “This must have taken forever.”

Yeah… Mewtwo nods slowly, like she’s taking in the secrets of the universe. Ooh, look at that one!

They go over to a sculpture of a tall rose with scraps of letters captured in the unfurling petals. Winnie and Mewtwo both ogle at the ice with great interest, taking the time to read every piece of paper inside. Porygon and Flower let them, waiting patiently. 

  “I see I have a fan.”

Winnie turns her head at the sound of the voice and realizes that a well-groomed person with an even more well-groomed Golduck by their side is walking over. They’re holding a narrow glass of fizzing yellow liquid in their hands and have on a strong cologne that smells faintly of mint leaves and lemon zest. 

  “You made this?” Winnie asks them.

  “Indeed I did,” the person answers, admiring their own handiwork. “It helps when you have a Golduck with such nimble claws.” They then smile down at their partner, who smiles back.

  “It’s beautiful,” Winnie says, looking at the sculpture again.

  “Why thank you,” the person says. They squint at Winnie. “Wait one moment… I know you.”

Winnie takes a small step back at that. “Uhh-- what?”

  “You’re Winona!” the person says. “Thomas’ daughter!”

Winnie blinks. “Yes…” she confirms warily.

  “I have heard so much about you and the things you do for the name of science,” the person says, speaking to her as though she’s some kind of famous moviestar. Their eyes shift up and practically glow in awe at the sight of Mewtwo. “And you must be Subject 150. I’ve only heard stories about you. You are absolutely incredible! I mean, a Pokémon made by humans… Groundbreaking!”

Mewtwo blinks at them. She seems both cautious and almost a little flattered, and keeps glancing at Winnie to try and figure out what to do. 

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” the person leans back and straightens their suit. “Where are my manners? I am Niko. I’m one of your father’s sponsors.”

  “Winnie,” Winnie says. “This Mewtwo, Porygon, and Flower.”

Niko nods slowly, taking in the names. “You have to tell me more about Subject 150-- I mean Mewtwo. Come, walk with me. I have some friends who would also like to meet you.”

Winnie doesn’t seem to get much choice in the matter, as Niko sets a hand on her back and begins leading her through the crowd. Maybe these ‘friends’ know Dee Dee Allen?

She ends up being taken to a side parlor room, where a group of people are sitting around a crackling fireplace and drinking expensive alcohol. They all look up upon arrival.

  “Ah, Niko,” one of the women say. She has a stern-looking Ivysaur at her side. “You’re finally back. I thought you got tangled up with one of the serving girls again. Who is this you’ve brought with you?”

  “A serving girl?” titters a person with a huge Pangoro from behind their glass. 

  “No,” Niko glares at the woman. “This is Winona. Winona Thompson. Thomas Thompson’s daughter.”

That piques their interest and they all sit up straight. 

  “Is that so?” says the first woman. “Come in, then. Sit, child. Speak with us.”

This is all way too spiffy for Winnie’s personal taste, but she goes along with it anyway. She sits between someone with a slick east Shellos stuck to their shoulder and someone else with a Roserade that looks like it’s trying way too hard to be fancy. Niko introduces them all one by one: the first woman and her Ivysaur is Lily, the second person with the Pangoro is Raven (who helpfully puts in that their Pangoro is named Mochi), a second woman with the Roserade is Raegen, and the person with the Shellos is Alec. 

  “And this is Subject 150,” Niko says about Mewtwo, and they all gaze up at her in awe.

  “Her name is Mewtwo,” Winnie informs.

  “Mewtwo,” Lily murmurs. 

  “Incredible,” Alec says. “So your father was really capable of recreating life? I only heard from word of mouth. I didn’t think it was true.”

Winnie opens her mouth to say something, but Raegen gets to it first: “Of course he was capable of recreating life. You see the thing right in front of you, right?” She then snaps her head around to Winnie, and her gaze seems almost suspicious. “I examined the labs when I was up in Snowpoint City for a week. I saw Mewtwo. I thought it wasn’t allowed out of the chambers.”

Winnie swallowed thickly, feeling her nerves begin to rise. She always knew that having Mewtwo around would attract attention and questions, but she never took the time to actually prepare real answers for anything asked of her.

  “W-well--” she stammers. “My father wanted to see how she would react to being around other humans, how she would function in normal life. He trusted me to do that for him.”

Raegen narrows her eyes. “I was never notified of this.”

Winnie felt sweat bead on her brow. “My father preferred to keep this to his closest colleagues. Telling this to everyone he knew would just create unnecessary problems.”

Raven barks a laugh and slaps Raegen’s arm. “She just implied that you aren’t one of Thomas’ closest colleagues! Good one, kid!”

Reagan ignores them and scrutinizes Winnie for a moment before turning her head away and taking a sip from her glass. She says nothing else, so someone new picks up the conversation.

  “I must know how your father did it,” Lily speaks up, leaning forward eagerly. “How did he create such a thing?”

Winnie shifts uncomfortably. “Lots of work.”

  “Oh, come on,” Raven says. “You were there first hand. You’ve got to know more than that!”

Winnie really doesn’t want to relive those awful memories, but she also doesn’t do well with peer pressure. So, slowly, so slowly, like the oozing silk of an old Ariados using String Shot, she begins to tell the tale of Mewtwo’s creation:

  “My parents have always been researching legendary Pokémon and the process of reincarnation. They got their big break after finding an old relic of Mew deep in Guyana, which contained DNA of Mew itself. The project to recreate the strongest Pokémon in the world began when my mother became pregnant with me. They realized that they could use the fetus as a host, but would also need a ‘donor’ to supply the host with basic needs. Unfortunately, my mother wasn’t having twins, but the scientists had a solution to that: embryo splitting. 

Embryo splitting is the artificial microsurgical twinning of an embryo at the cleavage or blastocyst stage. At the earliest stage of embryogenesis, the cleavage stage, the single cells of the embryo, the blastomeres, are still totipotent. This property is presupposed in the blastomere biopsy procedure, where single blastomeres are removed from the embryo, which under suitable conditions continue to develop like undivided embryos. The technique of blastocyst bisection involves the separation of the embryo in the later blastocyst stage into two equal halves. After separation, the genetically identical embryos can continue to develop as though they were natural twins.

Well, the original embryo was taken out after the split and was loaded up with Mew’s DNA, as my parents believed that the original would be more stable and therefore suitable for testing. The other embryo, the one that came out of the split, was left to gestate to full term and eventually be born as a human child.”

  “You,” Alec says.

Winnie nods. “Yeah.”

Winnie never really knows how to deal with the fact that her parents only kept her alive so she could be their personal test subject, or how she was created from the result of a horrific embryo split, not even the original embryo because they didn’t want the potentially defective one to be their precious creation, or how she’s around for the sole purpose of giving life to another.

  “Well, the first test was a success. I was born normally and the other embryo grew into the start of Mewtwo. From there, my parents performed gene-splicing and DNA engineering experiments to further develop her body, going into the depths of her cells to modify them the way they wanted. They used me as the donor, drawing blood, bone marrow, and other DNA material to further help with the growth.”

She can’t remember a time where she didn’t have tubes in her arms, sucking her veins dry, or needles stabbed into her hips to take out her bone marrow. She can remember being as young as four years old, strapped to a chair much too large for her little body deep in the depths of the labs, whimpering and squealing as leather buckles held her down, her favorite Froakie plushie discarded on the ground a few feet away after she dropped it. At the time, she hadn’t understood her parents’ science stuff, but she did know that it wasn’t good because the pain of an IV jabbing into her thin, brittle wrists was one that stuck with her after all this time. Yes, she remembered writhing, crying, screaming for her mom and dad, and then watching through blurring, teary eyes as something red slithered through the length of the transparent tube, collecting somewhere unknown, and then feeling dizzy and uncomfortable. She blacked out, she’s pretty sure, and when she awoke the only evidence that it ever happened were the tight bandaging around her wrist and the memories branded behind her eyeballs.

It became a normal occurrence after that: having her day interrupted by her mother or father walking up to her and simply saying, “Let’s go.” She, immediately understanding, would then drop whatever she was doing and follow them obediently into the lab. It happened so regularly that she knew how to insert the IV into herself on her own and would often ask, “What is it today? The wrist? The inner elbow? The forearm? The back of my hand, maybe?”

The scientists said it was good that she had such a positive sense of humor over it, when really she was just tired. 

  “They wanted to make her into a weapon. A weapon they could exploit however they wanted. Unfortunately, due to her being once human, she still has basic emotions and compassion. They’re still working on getting rid of that.”

Or, they were. Winnie isn’t letting her parents or any scientist hurt Mewtwo ever again.

  “And…that’s it. That’s the story.”

The group gawks at her for a long moment, eyes wide and mouths ajar.

Then, Raven says, “That is AMAZING!”

Winnie scrunches her nose up a little. “I suppose.”

  “No, really, it is,” Alec agrees.

  “It’s true,” Lily nods. “Embryo splitting is an incredible feat on its own, but the added bonus of recreating a legendary Pokémon…” She gazes up at Mewtwo. “It’s groundbreaking.”

Mewtwo shifts away slightly, moving close enough to brush against Winnie’s side. Her skin was smooth and cold under the AC. If she had hair on other parts of her body aside from her tail, she may have had goosebumps. 

  “Say, Winnie,” Niko says. “Have you had anything to drink yet?”

  “No, I--”

Before she can even get the words out, a glass full of a fizzing yellow liquid is shoved into her hands. She nearly drops it in surprise, but manages to keep the nice cup from shattering and spilling its contents everywhere. When she leans down to sniff, it smells like jet fuel. 

  “Oh, you HAVE to try that!” Raven encourages her. “It’ll loosen you up. It’s clear you need that to happen.” They laugh and wink. 

  “Yes, Winnie,” Raegen smiles a Feraligator-toothed smile. “Have a drink.”

It doesn’t seem like underage drinking is a concept these people are familiar with.

Winnie looks down at the glass in her hands and feels a hot coil of shame wind up in her gut. She really doesn’t want to drink alcohol, but she also doesn’t want to be seen as a buzzkill, either, so she just downs the entire liquid without even thinking it through.

Whatever is in the glass sears its way down Winnie’s throat like molten lava. It mixes like olive oil in water with the rest of her stomach contents, making it bubble in obvious disgust towards the mixture. She hadn’t expected there to be so much or for it to be so strong- it comes out of her nose slightly, but she wipes away the streams from her nostrils before anyone can notice. Drinking from a gas pump probably would have given her the same effect, as it tastes almost like gasoline. 

Niko genuinely looks impressed at what she had done, as did several of the others. Porygon, Mewtwo, and Flower are all just staring at her. 

  “Damn girl!” Raven then laughs. “I was expecting THAT! Good job!”

Winnie smiles slightly. Niko refills her glass and she looks at it in dismay, but doesn’t refuse the drink.

  “What about you?” Raegen says to Mewtwo, who perks up. “Yes, you. Why don’t you have a drink?”

  “What would happen if Mewtwo drank?” Alec wonders aloud. “Since it was once human. Would it have the same tolerance?”

  “Exactly what I’m thinking about,” Raegen says. “What do you say, Mewtwo? Or can the world’s strongest Pokémon not handle a little liquor?”

Mewtwo glares at Raegen, snatches the bottle from Niko’s hands, pours herself a glass, and downs the entire thing. 

She doesn’t even react.

Raegen smirks. “Let’s see how long that lasts, hm?”

Winnie finds that awfully suspicious, but she can’t ponder it for long as the buzz of alcohol begins to take effect like Beedrills in her brain.

She continues to drink, urged up thanks to peer pressure from this group of people she just met. Mewtwo does, too. Porygon and Flower look on with resistance, but don’t interfere. 

Thirty minutes later, maybe, and her skin is buzzing, burning, singing. Nerve endings on fire. Cells vibrating with the pleasant hum of alcohol. 

She isn’t anxious, she realizes. She isn’t in pain or uncomfortable, either. She’s completely relaxed, as though a Butterfree had used Sweet Scent on her, sedating her conscious mind into something more delirious. By the off-kilter grin and telepathic laughing, she can tell that Mewtwo is right there with her. Drunk. Smashed. Calm.

Winnie lets her smile. She lets herself giggle and joke around. And when she stumbles her way out of the parlor and back to the rest of the party, she even lets herself dance.

She wishes she can always feel this way, so carefree, so blissful. She wonders if it would make her friends like her more, if it would make them actually notice her presence and not run off to be with each other. 

You know what? She’s going to go find them! She’s going to go show them how fun she is! Then they’ll regret leaving her behind and will just be BEGGING to hang out with her!

Winnie tugs on Mewtwo’s arm, pulling her away from the fierce dance battle she’s having with someone’s Cinderace. Mewtwo stumbles a little on her paw pads, then falls into a shaky step beside Winnie. Flower follows mutely, while Porygon teleports away after offering to aid in the search on their own.

The mansion is a sensory overload. Winnie attempts to process everything that’s happening around her, but the details are fuzzy, falling together in a jumbled mess. Mewtwo, as tall as she is, is like a Girafarig on roller skates this deep in alcohol. Winnie hadn’t even realized it was possible for Pokémon to get drunk at all, but she was clearly wrong about that. 

The room is spinning, a colorful blur of fluorescence and neon, and Mewtwo is clinging to one of her shoulders for support. There’s a woman in a tight black dress singing on a stage-like area of the main party room, backed up by two Toxtricity that strum energetically at their chest protrusions and a Rillaboom that beats happily on its drum, and the sound of the music rattles Winnie like a Camrupt using Earthquake. 

The friction in the house is unbearable. So many bodies are rubbing against each other, and Winnie makes a mental note to find someplace to cool down at some point. She scans through the crowd as sweat begins to bead in her eyes, trying to find her friends, but it’s impossible to see anything clearly thanks to the haze of alcohol numbing all of her senses. The color of dresses are bleeding together, aided by the harsh lights inside, and she quickly feels the start of a headache bloom in her skull.

Winnie somehow finds herself in one of the back areas of the mansion, stumbling through a hallway lined with expensive-looking art. She isn’t quite sure how she managed to get there, but she’s just glad it’s quieter. Her headache has turned into a full-blown migraine. She really needs some water. And a bed, maybe. Yes, a bed would be nice. She’s suddenly so sleepy… 

As dull as her senses now were, the lack of clamor in the hallway let her take notice of another presence there with her, but by then it’s too late.

Two long, spingly blades of grass grow right out of the shiny tile floor and wrap around her ankles, tripping her.

Grass Knot.

Winnie hits her jaw on the way down, which probably would have knocked her out if she didn’t have adrenaline pumping through her. Blood fills her mouth from biting her tongue, and she groans. She tries to roll over, but the grass has her tight. She can’t get away.

Down the hall, the people from the parlor come into view. They all have dark looks in their eyes.

  “Flower--” Winnie says, but that’s all she can get out, her tongue bloody and heavy in her mouth. Flower doesn’t need to have direct orders to know that she needs to attack, though, and rushes forward, her horn glowing purple with Night Slash. 

Mochi the Pangoro picks her up and detains her with ease. If the party weren’t so loud, then maybe people would have heard Flower’s resulting yowling and growling. 

  “Looks like someone drank a little too much,” Raegen croons, stalking up like a hungry Mightyena. “Just wait until your papa hears about this. He isn’t going to be too happy.”

It is then that Mewtwo jumps into her path, standing protectively in front of Winnie, though her wide stance loses a lot of its intimidation thanks to the way she wobbles unsteadily on her feet, almost keeling over a few times.

  “Oh?” Raegen raises an eyebrow. “You wish to interfere? Alright. This’ll make things easier. Roserade, use Energy Ball.”

Roserade obeys and sends a bright blast of energy at Mewtwo. Mewtwo splays open her fingers to form an attack of her own, but seems to have forgotten how to use her moves in her drunken haze, so she’s caught in the chest by Energy Ball and is pushed backwards slightly.  

  “Golduck, use Hydro Pump!”

  “Shellos, use Ice Beam!”

  “Ivysaur, use Sludge Bomb!”

  “Mochi, use Dark Pulse!”

The barrage of attacks pummel Mewtwo one after another: first, a powerful torrent of water; then, a freezing ray of ice; then, a splatter of acid; and then finally, a blast of dark energy that knocks her prone, super-effective against her Psychic-Type body. 

  “Ivysaur, use Power Whip,” Lily orders. “Keep it still.”

Glowing green vines slither out of Ivysaur’s bud and wrap tightly around Mewtwo, constricting her while also doing ample damage. She lets out a telepathic shout of pain that echoes in Winnie’s brain. 

  “What a disappointment you’ve turned out to be, Subject 150,” Raegen says, prowling closer. “Clearly Thomas hasn’t been doing a good job at making you into a weapon. But don’t worry, this feedback will be sent when you are returned to the lab. You will be fixed soon.”

  “No!” Winnie manages to cry. She begins yanking at the grass knots around her ankles, but they don’t let up. 

  “Oh, don’t worry,” Raegen says to her. “You’ll get your fun, too. After all, you will be accompanying it back to Snowpoint. Thomas will be so thrilled to hear of your return.” She then smirks, drinking in Winnie’s terrified expression. “What? Did you really think he wasn’t going to go after you? That he was just going to let you get away with stealing such a creature?” She chuckles. “Foolish little girl.”

Winnie tries one last time to break free, but she can’t, she can’t and that scares her further. She’s stuck, trapped beneath the clutches of these horrible people, and there’s nothing she can do about it.

Nobody is going to save her.

  “Hurry, round them up,” Raegen says to her friends. “Before anyone sees.”

  “No, no--” But Winnie can’t get away and, Arceus above, she’s terrified, and she doesn’t want to go back, she doesn’t want to go, but she’s stuck and she can’t--

Something appears in front of her, causing the people approaching her to step back.

It’s Porygon.

And their body is aglow with something unnatural.

When the light bursts outwards, Winnie feels like her eyeballs are being scorched. Even when she opens them, all she can see are ripples of something iridescent. She’s blind.

Then, there’s nothing.

As she falls backwards, a voice echoes down the hallway.

  “What is going on in here?!”

--

The Divine

Kaylee’s eyes have to be wider than dinner plates as she looks at the array of alcoholic beverages lined up on one of the bar tables, the polished glass winking in the light, almost inviting her over to drink. When she glances over to Nick, she notices that he’s doing the same, and they both instantly bustle over to look at the selection.

Each of the drinks seem to be based on one of the Eeveelutions. There’s: the Eevee- cake vodka, Kahlua, Bailey’s, chocolate eclair ice cream bar, chocolate syrup; the Vaporeon- rum, blue curacao, pinap juice, sitrus soda pop; the Jolteon- tequila, Red Tauros, margarita mix, nomel juice, sitrus soda pop, salt on the rim; the Flareon- fireball whiskey, pecha schnapps, iced tea, lemonade, dash of rawst syrup; the Espeon: rawst vodka, Hpnotiq Harmonie, Chambord, razz juice, sitrus soda pop; the Umbreon- bourbon, soda pop, nomel juice, oran juice; the Glaceon: rum, Blue Curacao, peppermint schnapps, lemonade, soda water, sugar on the rim; the Leafeon- tequila, pecha Schnapps, sitrus juice, ginger ale, mint, honey and a drop of chocolate syrup for decoration; the Sylveon- cake vodka, rawst vodka, Bailey's, rawst shortcake ice cream bar, cream, rawst syrup.

The bartender notices their ogling and chuckles. “They look good, I know, but I’m afraid that’s as close as you can get to them.”

Kaylee’s shoulders slumped. “Really?”

  “Really. I don’t need to get in trouble for serving alcohol to minors. Now run along. There’s other things you can drink here.”

--

The Mythos

There are battles raging in the backyard.

From the porch, Kevin and Shelby overlook a fight between a Lairon and a Wigglytuff. The Lairon’s trainer seems to think he has it in the bag, but then the Wigglytuff uses Psychic and throws Lairon into the ground with so much force a crater is created. The victory becomes obvious rather quickly.

Kevin nudges Shelby excitedly. “We should do that!”

Shelby looks up at him with a fond smile. “What?”

  “Battle!” Kevin specifies. “Come on! Let’s beat some butts!”

Shelby laughs. “Alright, alright. We’ll do it.”

They talk to the person running the battles, who is more than happy to add them to the list. By the time it’s finally their turn, they had completely forgotten their goal to try and find Dee Dee Allen.

They leave Lady and Cuddles on the sidelines with Waddles. Their opponents are two people named Sasha and Scott, who send out an Electivire and Hitmontop. Kevin and Shelby decide to use their newest Pokémon for a first-time battle.

  “Go, Meme!”

  “Let’s go, Westly!”

The Heliolisk and Goodra come out, ready and eager to fight.

 “Battle begin!” yells the referee. 

  “Hitmontop, use Bullet Punch!”

  “Electivire, use Thunder!”

  “Meme, use Dragon Pulse!”

  “Westly, use Dragon Pulse, too!”

The battle kicks off.

Hitmontop takes off in a blur of speeds, its hands glowing silver with energy. Westly leaps out of the way before he can be hit, throwing off his own move in the process, but then Meme climbs onto his back and shoots Hitmontop with Dragon Pulse. Unfortunately, they don’t come out of the first round unscathed, as a powerful bolt of lightning strikes Westly, knocking him back through the grass. 

The Hitmontop is fast, but Meme can rival its speed. The Electivire is clearly the tank out of the two and is immune to electric type moves thanks to its ability Motor Drive, so it will be best if Westly goes after it. 

  “Meme, go after Hitmontop and use Iron Tail!”

  “Hitmontop, meet it halfway and use Close Combat!”

Meme shoots forward in a blur of yellow scales and glowing white tail. Hitmontop attempts to overwhelm him with a flurry of punches and kicks, but Meme is much too fast and manages to land the attack on its shoulder, hitting it away. 

Across the field, the next orders are given at the same time.

  “Electivire, use Dual Chop on Goodra!”

  “Westly, stop it using Rock Slide!”

Electivire takes off with impressive speed given its size, its huge fists lighting up with draconic energy, which will be devastating if it manages to hit Westly. But Westly heeds Shelby’s orders, summoning a shower of rocks that rain down on Electivire’s back, stopping its stride enough for Westly to evade the first swing. The second, however, comes around and nails Westly in the stomach, sending him sprawling.

  “Westly!” Shelby shouts. 

  “Now, Electivire!” Sasha yells. “Use Thunder!”

Electivire’s two tails come around and jab into Westly’s sides, releasing a powerful electric shock. And it would have been a disastrous blow, too, if Westly hadn’t been resistant to Electric Type moves. Through the bright yellow energy searing his body, Westly smirks up at Electivire, taking it aback.

  “Westly, Dragon Pulse!”

Westly lets loose a beam of energy directly into Electivire’s face, causing it to roar in pain as it lets go and staggers back, rubbing its eyes. Westly gets up immediately, shaking himself off and standing tall.

  “Oh yeah!” Kevin cheers, jumping up and down. “That’s my girlfriend!”

  “Mud! Mudkip!” Waddles chirps from the sidelines, balanced perfectly on Cuddles’ head.

  “Braix!” Lady whoops.

Cuddles waves her arms in an energetic gesture.

Shelby laughs at all of this. “The battle isn’t over yet.”

  “I know, I know,” Kevin says. “But you’re still so cool! ”

  “Thank you, love. Now, it’s your turn.”

  “Oh! Right! Meme, use Thunderbolt!”

  “Hitmontop, dodge it and use Focus Blast!”

As a jagged thunderbolt rips through the grass, Hipmontop leaps into the air, just barely grazing the soles of its feet on the electrical energy. Still in the air, it summons a sphere of bright blue heightened power between its hands and sends it down on Meme. Focus Blast hits its mark with super-effective damage. 

  “Meme!” Kevin looks worriedly at his downed Heliolisk. “Are you alright?”

Meme struggles to get up for a moment, but then Westly comes over and helps him to his feet. He shakes himself off and flashes Kevin a thumbs up, though it’s clear that he’s feeling the damage from Focus Blast.

That can be fixed.

  “Alright, Meme,” Kevin says. “Use Parabolic Charge on Hitmontop!”

  “Protect Hitmontop, Electivire! Use Thunder!”

  “Get Electivire out of the way, Westly! Use Poison Tail!”

  “Hitmontop, use Focus Blast again!”

Meme’s neck frill shoots open and glows a bright, blinding yellow, summoning an orb of crackling energy up into the air. As he’s readying the attack, Electivire releases a blast of Thunder, but Westly throws it off-kilter with a bludgeoning Poison Tail, leaving Hitmontop vulnerable when Parabolic Charge comes down on it. 

Meme stands up a little taller, now, Parabolic Charge having healed him slightly. But Electivire and even Hitmontop continue to stand, too. 

  “I think I have a plan,” Shelby says to Kevin in a low voice. “Can you cover me?”

  “Yeah, of course,” Kevin nods.

  “Awesome,” Shelby smiles. “Westly, use Bide!”

Westly nods his assent and then plants his feet firmly on the ground, drawing his arms in close and going still with his eyes closed. 

Realizing his girlfriend’s plan, Kevin smirks. “Ooh, good one,” he says. “Alright, Meme, use Dragon Pulse on Electivire!”

  “Electivire, counter it with Thunder!”

  “Hitmontop, go and use Triple Axel on Goodra!”

Dragon Pulse and Thunder successfully manage to level each other out, which gives Hitmontop ample time to run around and hit Westly with not one, not two, but three super-effective Ice Type blows. 

But still, Westle stands.

  “Meme, stop Hitmontop! Use Thunderbolt!”

  “Electivire, use Fire Punch! Get Heliolisk out of the way!”

  “Hitmontop, use Triple Axel again!”

Meme lunges out at Hitmontop, zapping it with Thunderbolt, but Hitmontop interrupts by swinging around and hitting him in the snout with the first Triple Axel, knocking him right into Electivire’s blazing punch, which is super-effective thanks to his ability, Dry Skin. As Meme collapses in a twitching heap of pain, Hitmontop clubs Westly with the next two Triple Axels.

Still, Westly stands.

Sasha growls in annoyance. “This is getting old. Electivire, use Dual Chop! Knock Goodra out!”

  “Hitmontop, use Bullet punch!”

The first Dual Chop manages to hit, and then Westly’s eyes snap open. His body alights with a burning red light that flickers almost like flames as he stares up at the two enemies.

  “Now, Westly!” Shelby yells.

Westly releases Bide, and it comes out in the form of a beam of bright white energy, searing Electivire and Hitmontop with double the damage they had inflicted upon Westly. When the move dies off, the results are revealed.

  “Electivire and Hitmontop are unable to battle!” the referee yells. “The winners are Shelby and Kevin!”

  “We did it!!” Kevin exclaims, throwing his arms around Shelby and jumping up and down, treating this as though it’s the greatest victory ever. 

Shelby laughs. “We did!”

Westly and Meme are called over, and Kevin and Shelby shower them in praise. A moment later, Cuddles, Lady, and Waddles come over and congratulate them in their own Pokémon way.

  “You two are pretty good,” Sasha says from across the court, smiling. “I never realized how powerful Bide could be!”

  “Neither did I,” Shelby admits with a small laugh. “Your Electivire is so strong! Using its tails like it did… That was awesome!”

  “We try,” Sasha chuckles. “Thank you.”

It is then that something strange happens. It comes from the house and beams out like a powerful sonic boom that rends the air in a way that makes it shift. And then twitch. And then press inward.

Kevin’s head begins to hurt terribly. It isn’t a slow buildup into a headache, but rather a sharp, direct stab out of nowhere, like a Garchomp sticking its claws directly into his ears or Sasha’s Electivire jabbing him in the temples with its tails and using Thunder. Glancing to the side through hazing vision, he notices that Shelby has the same expression of pain creased across her face.

  “Woah, are you two alright?” Sasha asks, noticing. 

  “I, uhh--” It’s all Kevin can get out before his knees buckle. 

He doesn’t remember hitting the ground.

--

The Entity

Emma is bouncing along to the music slightly.

Alyssa knows better than anyone that she can’t resist a good beat. Ever since they met all those years ago, when Emma’s hair was equally as fuzzy and her eyes were equally as Lillipup-like as they are now, when Nugget herself was still a Lillipup, Emma was addicted to music. That much was clear when she babbled on and on to Alyssa about the cool Kricketot she had caught when she was thirteen.

As the beat from an Amped and Low Key Toxtricity and a Rillaboom pulses through the air, it seems like Emma’s own Pokémon can’t resist the music, either, as Tenor and Coda pop right out of their PokéBalls and begin to play along. The Low Key Toxtricity, so similar looking to Coda, hears them, points, and trills in approval before strumming back its own chest protrusions. 

  “Not gonna go up there and try to play the guitar?” Alyssa teases, nudging Emma lightly.

Emma groans. “That was one time! ”

  “I still can’t believe you tried to show an actual musician ‘how it’s done,’” Alyssa laughs.

  “Still was only one time!” 

While they’re both laughing, the electronic party music begins to fade out into something more fitting for a slow dance, an airy melody of Kricketune chirps, Chimecho bells, and Primarina coos. The lights fade down into soft blue and light purple. Alyssa smirks and does a mock bow, extending a hand to Emma.

  “Shall we dance?”

Emma looks a little flustered, then takes Alyssa’s hand, squeaking softly when Alyssa pulls her against her. Alyssa chuckles.

  “What’s wrong, darling?” she asks. “You look a little shy.”

  “I’m not!” Emma barks like her Herdier, who is swaying along to the music by their feet with Pretty. 

Another chuckle. “If you say so.” She slips her arms around Emma’s neck as Emma sets her hands on her waist. They begin to dance slowly.

Emma’s legs tremble, unsteady, unpracticed, Deerling-like. Her hands clasp tightly at Alyssa’s waist, like Alyssa is her island out in a raging black ocean. Moats of silver dust float like Frosmoths in the rays of light beaming from the spotlights, trailing delicately over Emma’s skin, sliding against her cheeks and pooling into the dips in her collarbone. The black shadows of the darkened room and the gentle glow of Emma’s pale flesh are melting into each other so seamlessly that the vividness of her form is pleasantly scorched right into Alyssa’s retinas. Looking at her now, with her face half-flushed and eyes shimmering in a way that makes them look green and gold, bore the same bursting intensity of biting directly into a ripe Aspear berry, and Alyssa has never seen her girlfriend more awash in radiance.

Emma’s hand is warm on Alyssa’s waist and she looks up at her, dry lips parting with a slight pop. Alyssa tilts her head at her and smiles, the corners of her mouth held aloft by the spotlights. Her fingertips trail over Emma’s skin, her veins, bluer than hers, rivers snaking beneath her skin and crisscrossing the imperfect planet of her body. 

But Alyssa doesn’t care.

Each sweeping step they take gives Emma a little more confidence, Alyssa can see, and makes the world come a little more into focus for her pretty hazel eyes. Alyssa knows this is all Emma has ever wanted- being held so gently, being loved despite her flaws, being wanted and needed and swayed like she is. Alyssa doesn’t care that she’s touching her, Alyssa doesn’t care about the slight shakiness of her unstable dance step, Alyssa doesn’t care that she’s being dragged on this crazy adventure.

Alyssa cares about her girlfriend and her girlfriend alone. Nothing else in the entire universe matters to her. And that, she knows, is a dream come true to Emma.

Alyssa coaxes Emma closer in the honeyed voice she knows makes Emma feel all fluttery inside, makes her squirm needily while they’re in bed together, whispers that she wants to show off to all these pompous rich folk, and Emma does as she’s told, tentatively placing one foot in front of the other, searching for stable ground as they whisk in loops around the dancefloor. 

  “Alyssa?” Emma whispers at one point.

  “Yeah?” Alyssa looks down at her, still smiling with so much affection for her.

  “Thank you.”

  “Anything for you, Emma.”

Emma is still shaky but that’s okay. If she falls, Alyssa will most definitely catch her.

They settle into a rhythm, their bodies swaying to the sound of the music, and for a moment it’s just them, just Alyssa and Emma, dancing in the middle of the night, in this raging party. The world seems to fade away, their responsibilities disappear as Alyssa leads them around the dancefloor, and she lets out a contented sigh, pressing a loving kiss to the soft skin of Emma’s neck.

  “I love you so much,” Alyssa murmurs.

  “I love you, too,” Emma says, and that’s when the atmosphere cracks and reality bleeds back in.

Alyssa feels the sonic boom-like sensation, she just doesn’t think anything of it until Emma staggers and presses her forehead against her chest, making a soft noise of pain beneath the hum of music. Alyssa immediately stops, quickly feeling the shudders that begin to run through Emma’s body.

  “Emma?” she says. “Darling? What’s wrong?”

  “I-- I don’t--” Emma’s voice sounds strangled, croaked, like the pain she’s in is so bad she can’t even muster up the words to speak.

Alyssa is worried, and then she feels it, too.

A migraine that hits her so suddenly she wonders if she had smashed her skull right against the tough facial hide of a Shieldon. The pain worms through her ears, her eyeballs, her nose, directly into her brain, and she can’t help but ponder if this is what Slowking feels when it has Shelder biting onto its head 24/7.

Her knees shake, then buckle, but Emma falls first, crumpling right to the floor. Alyssa hovers over her, trembling all over from the pain that infects her entire being. People are starting to stare, whispering to one another, but Alyssa doesn’t care about them. All she cares about is her girlfriend.

  “Emma,” she utters.

Emma raises her head to her and--

--and her eyes are glowing.

Bright gold like Lanterns in her sockets, Emma’s eyes are glowing as she looks up at her. 

  “Emma…” Alyssa whispers in fright, and then her own vision cuts to blazing white and the ground rushes up to meet her. 

--

They are very tall.

They are very tall and soft and nimble and lithe. Their body is full of power, glowing, flickering. There is a deep ritual at work here. Something far beyond the mortal ken.

  “What is war?” they ask to the universe, awaiting their opinions. 

  “War is terror,” says the Pokémon in a collective murmur.

  “War is rebirth,” says the forests that stretch all across the earth.

  “War is collapse,” says the water that feeds the land.

  “War is opportunity,” says the storms that destroy and remake all parts of the planet.

  “War is discourse,” says the sun that provides light and warmth for all creatures big and small.

  “War is loss,” says the moon that grants rest to those beneath its silver rays.

  “War is pain,” says life itself, humming beneath their feet.

They look up at the sky, at the void.

  “And what is war to you, Creator?”

  “Kindling,” hisses Giratina.